Security analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa has delivered a damning verdict on the Ghana Armed Forces, asserting that the institution presently lacks effective leadership.

According to him, events during the just-ended December 7, 2024, general elections have revealed significant issues within the Ghana Armed Forces, an institution traditionally revered for its discipline.

Speaking on TV3's Ghana Decides 2024 programme, monitored by GhanaWeb, Dr. Bonaa explained why he had urged citizens not to leave polling stations after casting their ballots.

"...People didn't understand why I said citizens should not go home and that they should confront them [the military personnel] with their bare hands. They [the Armed Forces] had issued a directive stating they would not be on the frontlines of election security. You don't make such a statement and then have rogue senior officers directing personnel to these locations.

"I told you the military is currently headless. It has no effective leadership. I said it, and I stand by it... it doesn't. Oppong Peprah, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has become an ineffective leader. In the military, you have commanders in charge of the sea, air, and land forces, with him at the top. Ultimately, everything rests on his shoulders," Dr. Bonaa asserted.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), on December 6, a day before the general elections, confirmed the deployment of its personnel to designated locations nationwide to support the Ghana Police Service (GPS) in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

In a statement, GAF reassured the public that the movement of military personnel in various localities was part of its collaboration with the police to maintain law and order during the electoral process.

The statement urged citizens not to be alarmed by the presence of the military in their communities.

GAF clarified that "no military personnel would be stationed at any polling stations." Instead, their role was to provide standby support, with the primary responsibility for election security resting with the Police Service. Military deployment, it said, would only occur upon a request by the police to address specific situations requiring reinforcement.

"This collaborative approach ensures that the elections proceed smoothly and peacefully while maintaining law and order," the statement read.

Despite this assurance, there were instances where soldiers were deployed to polling stations, leading to physical altercations with civilians. In some cases, civilians attempted to disarm the soldiers during the brawls.

KA



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