The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied allegations that the service is preparing to seize power if the 2024 general elections turn violent.
In an interview with JoyNews on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, the Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), claimed that GAF threatened to intervene in 2016 and 2020 if the electoral process turned violent.
According to him, GAF issued these threats at press conferences prior to the general elections held in those years.
“The Armed Forces of Ghana since 2016 have clearly and openly in press conferences threatened that if violence breaks out in the country over election disputes or whatever and the police cannot deal with it and it’s escalating or threatening, they will step in. And they said if they did so, it would be to protect the territorial integrity, our peace, and our national unity.
“That would be a coup because the police cannot deal with nationwide violence. They are not equipped for that. It’s not about parliamentary elections, it’s about presidential elections because the president is elected throughout the country. And they have said that a second time in 2020 and probably even the third time they’ve even started talking about it so early,” Dr. Akwetey said.
However, in response to the allegations, GAF denied any such plots, stating that the military has no intention of overthrowing any elected government.
In a press statement, the military also emphasized that they did not hold any conferences prior to the two previous elections referenced by Dr. Akwetey.
Read the full press statement below:
The attention of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has been drawn to a publication on Ghanaweb attributed to the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance, Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey on Thursday 22 August 2024.
“Dr. Akwetey is alleged to have said GAF has threatened to take over control of the country that if elections in the country turns out violent beyond the control of the Ghana Police Service at Press conferences held in 2016 and 2020. We wish to draw the attention of the public that GAF will only support the Ghana Police when the latter request for assistance and that does not constitute an overthrow of a government.
The allegation by Dr. Akwetey cannot be true because the Ghana Armed Forces has not held any press conference at which it declared its intention to take over the country. We wish to make it clear that GAF has no intention to stage a coup and will prevent and resist any individual, group or organization seeking to take over unlawfully the power of government either acting alone or in collaboration with any security agency.
GAF wishes to call on civil society groups and the media to desist from using its name to heighten political tension in the country. We wish to urge all stakeholders to join hands in ensuring that all citizens feel free and safe to undertake their lawful activities in an atmosphere of tranquility.
GAF, like all peace-loving institutions and individuals, is looking forward to peaceful elections come December 2024. We therefore call on all institutions and groups not to associate GAF with anything that has the potential of heightening political tension in the country.
