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Rigging Election 2020 for NPP impossible – Sammy Awuku

The New Patriotic Party’s National Organiser, Sammy Awuku, has refuted claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are scheming to rig the elections in favour of the ruling government.

To him, it will be impossible for such an action to succeed.

“We have never relied on the Electoral Commission since 1992. In today’s Ghana, it will be a miracle and an accident in history for the Chairperson of the EC and her commissioners to rig the elections for a political party; it will be difficult,” he said while contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM in Accra recently.

The NDC, at two press conferences recently, said activities being undertaken by the NIA and the EC ahead of the 2020 polls were all geared towards rigging the elections for the governing party.

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The opposition party had earlier posited that the use of the Ghana Card and passport as evidence of identification during registration despite the limited number of Ghanaians who have these requirements, was unfortunate.

National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and NDC’s Director of Elections, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, at two separate media briefings, said the EC Chairperson and Executive Director of NIA intended to rig the elections by denying about 11 million Ghanaians- majority of them are from the stronghold of the NDC– the Ghana Card which would enable them to take part in the EC’s planned compilation of new voters register.

They contend that the decision by the EC to use the Ghana Card and passport as the only required documents to get registered as voters was a calculated plan as part of the rigging process as many people would be disenfranchised.

“As we predicted, the Ghana Card registration process by the NIA has been very slow such that till date, the process which commenced with a pilot in late 2017 and was supposed to be completed in one year, has been able to register only 11,062,055 out of about 19 million Ghanaians (15 years and above) who are eligible to be registered.”

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“Even more bizarre is the fact that out of this 11 million Ghanaians who have been registered, only 7,074,048 have been issued with cards (per NIA’s own website https:nia.gov.gh) as at May 2, 2020,” Samuel Ofosu Ampofo explained.

Mr Awuku, has however, disagreed with the opposition NDC’s assertion.

He pointed out that under no circumstance would the ruling party even consider the idea.

“NDC should not think the EC can rig the election. The NPP rejects the NDC’s accusation that we are in active connivance with the Commission and the NIA,” he said.

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Sammy Awuku urged the opposition party to rather focus on how to be vigilant at the polling stations instead of making unfounded allegations.

“The NDC failed to be vigilant in 2016 and that led to their defeat. NDC, I can confidently tell you; they couldn’t collate their results in 2016. They did not even know where they lost and where they won,” Mr Awuku said, adding that, “You can’t blame the EC for your inability to open your eyes”.

citifmonline.com

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Don’t insert foreign material into vagina

A Health expert has expressed concern about the nature of health issues that confronts women in adulthood and has since advised them to help themselves by prioritising vaginal health.

According to the Acting Programmes Manager of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commey, most of the issues that affect women were caused by some negative practices they indulge in at youthful ages.

Those practices, according to her lead to serious health implications and urged them to desist from them.

For instance, the insertion of foreign objects into the private parts was something women must avoid.

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Dr Mary Efua Commey gave the caution last week during an interactive session with female staff of the New Times Corporation (Times Ladies) aimed to create awareness on cervical cancer, and the need to vaccinate and screen girls and women.

According to Dr Commey, some women insert white clay, popularly known as ‘ayilo’, naphthalene balls (camphor), cloves (pepre), herbs, vagina tightening creams and many other things into their private parts.

But in response to that, she told the women to “leave the vagina alone; use tap water to wash it, don’t insert your finger into the vagina.”  

She underlined that the vagina naturally cleanses itself, hence, there was no need to use soap and other detergents to clean it.

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Dr Commey explained that the position of the cervix makes it easier to trap infections, a situation that might create problems, adding that, “let us not create new problems because you don’t know how your body will react to these chemicals.”

According to Dr Commey, women were expected to be screened once every three years but most sexually active women do not get screened after all.

She mentioned that one of the reasons some women shy away from screening was because they do not have the permission of their husbands.

Furthermore, she recounted a few instances where some men acts as impediment on the way of their wives because they do not understand what it means for their wives to be screened for cervical cancer.

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She said the death rate for cervical cancer was unacceptably high as the GHS was trying to reduce the number.

She again indicated that over 3,000 cases of cervical cancer was recorded every year with more than half death cases.

Dr Commey mentioned that screening rate among women in Ghana was extremely low with only 3.6 per cent women screening for the disease in 2023.

Moreover, mentioning some of the risk factors of the disease, she said women with family history, multiple sex partners, personal history of abnormal screening results, women with persistent HPV infection, and smoking were prone to it.

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She said signs and symptoms of cervical cancer include bleeding during or after sex or between periods, post-menopausal bleeding, unusual vaginal discharge, pain during sex and lower back pain.

By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu

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 Silence box fighting violence, forced marriages in Nanumba North District

The silence box
The silence box

 Aisha, a 16-year-old girl’s prefect of Nabuli Junior High School in the Numumba North district of the Northern region, is among hun­dreds of girls in rural communities, where a simple metal box kept in a safe room in their school is offering a lifeline for many innocent girls.

To the untrained eye, it looks ordi­nary. It’s just a box with a narrow slit at the top, but to the teenage girls, it is a silent witness and a keeper of secrets. “This is the Violence Report­ing Box.

In Nabuli, violence was once an unspoken norm for decades, where issues of domestic abuse, child mar­riage, and gender-based violence were swept under the carpet.

The victims bore their pain in silence, fearing banishment when such issues were reported to powerful community elders.

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It was installed as part of a commu­nity driven initiative, spearheaded by ActionAid and implemented by songta­ba, a local base NGO.

Madam Hamida Kukuna, the Com­munity Officer for Songtaba at Nabuli said the box does not judge, but only listen, trying to address your issue if you have been wronged.

She indicated that every week, trained volunteers discreetly emptied the box, forwarding reports to a team of social workers and law enforcement officers stationed in the district cap­ital, after victims of violence anony­mously slip handwritten notes into the box.

“At first, the box was a curiosity, where children giggled as they looked at it, and villagers questioned its pur­pose”, she said.

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Ms Hamida continue that for weeks it remained empty, then after one rainy evening, she saw a footprint towards the box so she opened it and saw a piece of paper inside.

It stated “He comes every night when my mother is away. I am only 12, Please help me.”

The volunteers acted swiftly and that led to the identification of the girl and rescued her from her abusive uncle, who was later arrested.

The news spread quickly, and for the first time, the people of Nabuli real­ised the power of this silent box.

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Soon, more notes followed, as a wife who had been battered for years sought help and a father reported his daughter’s forced marriage to a much older man.

According to Hamida, the box be­came a beacon of hope, an outlet for the voiceless.

Moreover, she said within a year the box has facilitated the rescue of over 30 individuals from abusive situations.

“It has also triggered critical con­versations about violence, gender roles, and justice in the community, she added.

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Mrs Beatrice Yanman Biije, a Pro­grammes Officer at ActionAid Ghana at the Tamale office stated that vil­lage council, once complicit in silenc­ing victims, began working with the authorities in creating a safe place for the teenagers.

She said one of the most remarkable transformations was when a 26-year-old mother of two, after years of beatings from her husband, wrote a note to the box with the help of a teacher.

“Her story inspired the creation of a women’s cooperative, offering skills training and support to survivors of abuse,” she said.

She added that, the initiative faced hurdles, where some villagers accused the box of encouraging rebellion and breaking families apart, said an elder in the community.

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“Others tried to sabotage it, spread­ing rumors and threatening volun­teers, but the tide was turning with each life saved, the community’s support grew stronger”, she added.

The success of the violence report­ing box in Nabuli caught the attention of many schools in the communities around who are working on getting a metal box.

The box stands as a testament to what happens when silence is bro­ken, when whispers become voices, and when justice is given a chance to thrive, even in the most unlikely places.

 From Geoffrey Buta, Nabuli

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