Electoral violence: Deaths recorded in elections are not just numbers; they are breadwinners – Rev Opuni Frimpong

The Executive Director of the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, has called for an end to the horror of electoral violence in Ghana.
According to him, the recorded deaths are not just numbers, but breadwinners of some families.
In an interview with GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu, Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong said that the nation, together with political parties, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and all, must be on board to prevent the loss of lives during elections.
He said that the deaths are not statistics, but human beings who have families and dreams.
“This is why it cannot remain a rhetoric. That is why we as a nation, together with political parties, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and all, must be one board that the deaths we are recording are not just numbers. They will remain a rhetoric if we keep comparing numbers. But they are not numbers, we are talking about breadwinners. We are talking about certain investments that some parents have made and we as a nation must be concerned and move beyond rhetoric and face the reality and say that this horror must end” he stated.
He cited the example of the eight people who died in the 2020 elections, saying that they would not be rhetoric if they had any connection with the people.
He said that it was tragic that some of these parents were killed because of someone’s ambition to become a president or a member of parliament.
“The death of the eight people who died in the 2020 elections would remain a rhetoric if they have no connection with them. But assuming one of the persons who died were to be your father, brother or son, it would be a rhetoric.
“I teach at KNUST and schools have just reopened. The school of medicine fee is about 12,000 an academic year and you are going to pay this six times. Now, with your parents being alive and they are struggling to pay your fees, it’s not been easy for some of them. Yet , you have your case, the father who should have been there to pay the fees, was killed all because someone wanted to become a president or a member of parliament and your father was at the coalition centre and he was shot,” he said.