Come 2024, ‘we don’t want any soldier at the polling centre’ – Mahama warns

• The NDC will insist on clear security arrangements during the 2024 polls

• The party wants policemen to be in charge of security

• The NDC’s 2020 flagbearer says soldiers must stay away from polling stations

The role of the security agencies became a topical issue especially in the aftermath of the 2020 General Election as a result of deaths that were recorded in parts of the country.

The main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, continues to push for a full-scale probe into how eight people were killed in the aftermath of the vote.

For former President John Dramani Mahama, those unfortunate incidents are the main reason why security issues must be streamlined in the 2024 polls.

Speaking on Power FM/TV XYZ earlier this week (November 9), Mahama said the NDC will insist that the role of security for polls be laid squarely in the domain of the police. “About soldiers, we don’t want any soldier at the Polling Center, they should maintain a distance,” he stated.

“It is the Police who are supposed to be at the polling centres and we are all going to be at the collation centres from close of poll till results are counted and collated,” he continued.

According to him, the NDC maintains its mistrust for the EC because of the conduct of the 2020 polls and that they will treat the EC as an opponent going into the 2024 polls.

“That is why I said “do or die,” it means we are going to make sure every base is covered. To make sure everything is done. We are going to approach the election like a footballer who realizes that the referee is against him.

“(Just) as Azumah Nelson goes into a ring with his referee, we will go into 2024 with our own referee. I want to tell all NDC members that the elections will be won at the polling stations and collation centres, so we are going to police it religiously,” he added.

Mahama has yet to state whether he will be a candidate for the next election but he is widely expected to stand. It will be his fourth candidature after winning in 2012 and losing twice to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 and 2020.