The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has disputed reports that it anticipated violence in Ghana’s 2024 general elections during its recent Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission to the country.
The Herald Newspaper released an article on August 21, 2024, claiming to have gotten a ‘draft statement’ from the ECOWAS Mission in which the commission ‘predicted bloodshed’ in the voting process.
In an official statement, ECOWAS reiterated that its pre-election missions do not publicly disseminate conclusions because these studies are confidential and intended solely for the President of the Commission’s use in interactions with member states.
The Commission emphasized that at no point did it predict violence in Ghana’s electoral process, labelling The Herald’s report as a gross misrepresentation of the Mission’s procedures and findings.
To inform The Herald, ECOWAS pre-election Missions do not release remarks about their findings. Furthermore, reports from such missions are confidential and intended solely for the President of the Commission’s use in his interactions with authorities in Member States.
“In this instance, the preliminary report is still undergoing quality control. At no time before, during and after the Fact-Finding Mission has ECOWAS ‘predicted violence’ in the electoral process. The Commission therefore finds it preposterous that The Herald would disingenuously repeat the standard operating procedures of ECOWAS fact-finding missions, twist issues that are in the public domain in Ghana and try to push its partisan conclusions into the mouth of ECOWAS.
“The ECOWAS Commission rightly holds Ghana in high esteem as a model of maturing democracy and tolerance on the continent and often cites the country for regulation in the region. The Commission, therefore, condemns any attempts by sections of the media to misuse the name of ECOWAS in their vain attempts to sow discord among the over 32 million peace-loving people of Ghana through manipulation, partisan positions and veiled incitement to intolerance and violence. Ghana deserves better,” the commission stated.
