Ghana Union Movement calls for retrieval of civilian guns ahead of December 7 polls

Ahead of the December 7 presidential and legislative elections, the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) has urged the President to sign an Executive Instrument directing the confiscation of all civilian firearms.

As part of larger steps to guarantee peaceful elections, the Party suggested that the retrieval should include both registered and unregistered firearms.

The founder and flag bearer of GUM, Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrews, stated that the violence observed at certain voting places ought to serve as a wake-up call for the nation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

He stated that the lack of strong gun control laws should be concerning and urged political parties to use the proper channels to settle their differences in order to preserve national peace.

“I appeal to the President and even Parliament to pass a law to retrieve all guns except those of the military. We do not want anyone to go to the polling station wielding guns on December 7.

“This election should be peaceful and one of the ways to ensure that is to make sure that people do not get access to guns.” Rev. Andrews said.

The GUM urged all political parties and interested parties to exhibit moderation and obey the regulations governing the exercise, denouncing the isolated acts of violence that have characterized the current voter registration exercise.

The disruptions that took place in Kukuom in the Ahafo Region during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration Exercise, which resulted in one person being injured, were termed by Reverend Andrews as worrying.

“If people can carry machetes to a registration centre then that is very dangerous and we should all condemn and stand up against such violent acts,” he said and appealed to the Police to take swift action against the perpetrators.

“If we fail to deal with the issue head-on and punish the perpetrators severely, people would be emboldened to do worse things during elections and we do not want that to happen.” Rev. Andrews added.

The limited voter registration exercise is still underway, having started on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, and the Ghana Police Service has condemned violent occurrences that have been reported at some registration locations.

The Police claimed in a statement that they had made multiple arrests across the country at different registration centers.

“The Police will like to remind the public that the registration exercise is a civic responsibility that must be attended to in a civil manner.

“It is in this regard that we will like to caution the public to exercise maximum restraint and act in accordance with the laws governing the registration process,” the Police said.