2016 Election: CODEO Condemns Abusive Language By Politicians

The Coalition of  Domestic Election Observers(CODEO) has condemned political actors who use abusive and intemperate language in the heat of political campaigning ahead of the December polls.

CODEO insists such lack of restraint within the political arena cannot be entertained in any civilized democratic dispensation, thus called on those involved to put a stop to it.

Speaking at the Coalition’s launch of it’s 2016 election calendar Tuesday, September 6, 2016, the Co-Chair of CODEO, Justice VCRAC Crabbe said the rising levels of abusive language creeping in the Ghanaian politics is not acceptable.

“In the pre-election period, CODEO has observed the use of abusive language on campaign platforms by some politicians. For example, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong’s recent remark about the EC Chair at a campaign rally in Kumasi. We also note of destruction of the electoral process and tearing into pieces of photo albums which was being used for a political  parliamentary primary by a member of the party – Mr. Kofi Jumah has now subsequently been sanctioned by the court. CODEO condemns such comments and remarks as well as the behavior of politicians as these do not have a space in a civilized democratic space.”

CODEO is the largest independent and non-partisan domestic election observation coalition in Ghana, comprising a network of civil society groups as well as religious and professional bodies.