The security expert Richard Kumadoe says the prevention of election-related violence depends more on the ability of the Electoral Commission to manage electoral processes properly than on police deployment alone.
Speaking on The Big Bulletin with Fritz Delanyo Amegashie on Tuesday (20 January 2026), Kumadoe said most election violence in Ghana stems from procedural failures rather than security lapses.
“When it comes to elections and election-related violence, there are known triggers,” said Kumadoe, founder of Independent Election Security and Compliance Watch.
“Voter diversion, voter displacement, deletion of names from the register, delays at polling stations, duplication or discrepancies in results – these are the things that create problems.”
According to him, the Ghana Police Service can only function effectively when the Electoral Commission has fulfilled its mandate of ensuring a credible and orderly electoral process.
“The police come in as the second layer,” Kumadoe said. “If the Electoral Commission does not do the first part properly, it becomes extremely difficult for the police to do their work, and then everybody ends up blaming the police.”
He stressed that the police are not responsible for voter registration issues or ballot administration, but rather for maintaining public safety and responding to breaches of the peace.
“If people arrive at polling stations and cannot find their names, they become agitated,” he said. “When the police tell them to calm down, tensions escalate because the police are not the ones who removed their names.”
EC “must ensure compliance”
Kumadoe made the comments while assessing the New Patriotic Party’s recent engagement with the Ghana Police Service ahead of its presidential primaries, scheduled for 31 January.
He rejected suggestions that the police do not need a clear security plan because the vote is an internal party election, describing such claims as “naive” and “ignorant”.
“Once political activities begin, the police treat them as national security exercises,” he said. “Whether it is the NPP, the NDC, or any other party, the police are always part of the process.”
He explained that district police commands – corresponding to political constituencies – will be responsible for election-day security, with reinforcements deployed where risk levels are higher.
“The police will assess the terrain, determine where additional personnel are needed, and deploy accordingly,” Kumadoe said, adding that their role remains limited to protecting voters and enforcing the law.
Ultimately, he argued that accountability for election-related violence must be correctly assigned.
“The Electoral Commission is the conductor of the process,” Kumadoe said. “If they ensure compliance, everything becomes easier for the police, and the likelihood of violence is drastically reduced.”
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