The host of Abusua Adwenkyere on Abusua 96.5 FM in Kumasi Osampakani has launched a sterling campaign to encourage participation in the upcoming District Level Elections in Ghana.
The elections slated for 19th December, 2023, will afford Ghanaians the opportunity to elect their local government representatives comprising Assembly men and unit committee members.
Ebenezer Yaw Jonah well known in media circles as Osempakani emphasized that the duties of a responsible citizen required each person within the voting age to exercise their civil rights in deciding who represents them in their electoral areas.
He however challenged electorates to be circumspect in demanding accountability and local community development while they go to the polls.
“If your assembly member arbitrarily mounted road blocks for funeral celebrants and took monies, ask him for accountability before you decide on retaining him,” he educated.
“If he allowed the haphazard citing of stores to allow him take tolls for fixing bulbs; ask him how much he got and how many bulbs he fixed,”
“If he adds his attendance to funerals and his donations as his achievements, don’t mind him. No one asked assembly members to go borrowing money for funeral donations,” he added.
Ghana’s District Level Elections has historically suffered voter apathy since it was instituted in the year 1988 as part of Ghana’s decentralization drive.
Apart from the maiden 1988 DLE which saw some 59.3% voter turnout, voter participation has averaged some 38% with varied explanations cardinal among which is the notion of unimportance generally attached to the local assembly elections.
Consequently the assemblies have struggled to get the finest of academics and technocrats picking up forms to contest the elections.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Ivan Heathcote–Fumador
