The Deputy Director of Elections and IT of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Rashid Tanko-Computer, says his party will not tolerate the presence of the military at polling stations in the upcoming December elections.

Recently, the Commanding Officer of the Achiase Jungle Warfare School in the Eastern Region, Lt. Col. Jacob Cudjoe, stated that the military will “beat” individuals who will not comply during the election.

• Read also: ‘I’ll beat the hell out of you if you misbehave on December 7’ – Achiase Commanding Officer

However, Dr Tanko-Computer, said the leadership of the NDC had discussions with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over the comments made by the military officer, urging him to collaborate with the military hierarchy and address the issue with the said officer.

“We made it clear to the IGP that, if you want peace in this country, they should call these individuals to order. They do not have that power. They should understand that we are all Ghanaians; they were once civilians before they became military officers. If he believes that, just because he is wearing a uniform, he can make noise and disturb the peace of this country, he should be mindful of his utterances. We spoke to the IGP because we are not going to accept that,” he said on Friday, November 22.

“We don’t want any armed military personnel near any polling station. No, we don’t want it. This is an internal democratic process we are conducting. You have no right to come and show your muscles just because you are wearing a uniform,” he added.

He also called for the military officer to be held accountable for his illegal comment, stating, “The law doesn’t allow that. It is completely illegal, and such officers must be called to order. You do not have the power to go around beating people.”

Speaking on JoyNews' News Desk, he further stated that the security forces should focus on performing their duties diligently, tackling issues such as ballot box snatching, rather than threatening the public.

He further expressed that the NDC will not accept any actions by the military that could jeopardise the election.

On his part, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Superintendent (Rtd) Peter Toobu, also speaking on the show, said that only the police are legally authorised to use “minimum force” on civilians and that the police are the key security agency for electoral security, not the military.

He strongly condemned the comments made by the military commander and stressed that the involvement of the military in such matters is inadvisable.

The MP for Wa West also called for a peaceful election, but warned that “imposters” would not be allowed to operate during the election, and the NDC would not accept such issues.

He urged the police to respond promptly to incidents, saying, “The police should ensure that their rapid response time is within five to ten minutes,” and that “the officers working with the Electoral Commission must exhibit professionalism.”