Murtala Mohammed Bako, AfricaNews Reporter in Accra, Ghana
President John Dramani Mahama, on Thursday advised the military and other security agencies to remain loyal to the 192 Constitution of Ghana in the discharge of their duties before, during and after the December polls.
He said: “I want to encourage all of you to be professional and neutral in order to win the confidence of Ghanaians in the 2012 General Election.
President Mahama gave the advice during his maiden working visit to the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces, since he became President of the Republic.
As part of the visit, the President handed over 265 operational vehicles comprising 200 military Pick Ups, 30 civil Pick Ups, 20 ambulances and 15 buses to the Armed Forces, to help in maintaining security during the elections.
He inspected a completed project on a 16-flat storey accommodation for General Officers and another 16-flat accommodation for other ranks of the Air Force, and interacted with school children at the Fifth Battalion of Infantry.
President Mahama said a plan to ensure peaceful polls was out and hoped that the security services would implement it to the letter by deploying the right people with adequate expertise to discharge their duties.
He said the presentation formed part of the retooling exercise for the military, and urged them to make judicious use of the equipment for the benefit of Ghanaians.
Lieutenant General Peter Augustine Blay, Chief of Defence Staff, said there was no cause for alarm in the December polls as security agencies were conducting surveillance and security checks to flush out infiltrators at the country’s borders.
He informed the President that following a series of regional meetings between the security agencies and the Electoral Commission, 5,000 troops had been deployed across the country to assist the police in ensuring the integrity of the elections.
Earlier on arrival at the General Headquarters, Burma Camp, a guard of honour, comprising three officers and 96 men, was mounted by a detachment from the Army, following which President Mahama took the general salute.
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