Bertha Badu-Agyei
Accra, Dec 8, GNA-The Women’s Situation Room (WSR), made up of eminent women from the ECOWAS sub-region have commended Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of Ghana and Presidential candidate of the NPP for graciously conceding defeat.
Pending the final declaration of the 2024 general election the eminent women noted that Dr Bawumia’s swift manner of conceding defeat, had quelled the mounting tension in the country.
The Women Situation Room is a consortium of women-led groups including the UNOWAS working group on Women, Youth, Peace Security, the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) in collaboration with ANGIE Brooks International Centre for Women Empowerment.
Ahead of the elections, the Women’s Situation Room was set up to track the process with focus on gender-specific issues.
Eminent Women from the West African region including Mrs Olubanke King-Akerele, former foreign Affairs Minister of Liberia, Mrs Tumi Akerele Ismail, former Solicitor-General of Nigeria and Counsellor Mrs Johnson Morris, former Chief Justice of Liberia manned the operations room.
Others were Mrs Joana Opare, eminent member of the National Peace Council, Mrs Afi Yakubu, former Secretary-General of the Small Arms Commission, Ing. Mrs Safiratu Andani, President of Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMWAG) and Dr Charity Binka, among others.
They also commended the Electoral Commission for the professional conduct of the elections, the citizens of Ghana and women especially for turning out to exercise their franchise in a peaceful manner.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Dr Charity Binka, president of the Ghana chapter of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and a member of the eminent women group said notwithstanding pockets of reported violence, the elections were general peaceful.
She said their observers reported an efficient, orderly and generally peaceful conduct of the polls on Saturday mentioning that the opening of polls and general voting process was satisfactory.
They were particularly impressed that about 50% of the polling station officers were females and 66% were females, however “we bemoan that only 19% of the presiding officers were females and only one percent of polling officials were Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)”.
While calling for improvement of collaborative work between the EC and security agencies to ensure a more peaceful conduct of future elections, the group urged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to develop a comprehensive citizen education on elections security.
GNA