Body builders in the Ashanti Region are committing to contribute to peaceful elections in December with a pledge to support police to ensure violent-free atmosphere.

The Ghana Body Builders and Fitness Association says it is sensitizing its members to resist attempts by individuals or groups to use them to foment trouble.

The promise comes on the back of a zero-tolerance for ‘machomen’ declared recently by the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

Body-building, described as use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one’s muscles has become a competitive sport over the years.

In Ghana however, the art has unfortunately become synonymous to violence and sometimes crime.

Snatching of ballot boxes during elections and land-guard activities are two major areas of concern that body-builders have been associated with. 

Ashanti Regional Police Command has warned it will deal ruthlessly with any vigilante groups which engage in election-related violence in the up-coming polls.

The Ghana Bodybuilders and Fitness Association says it welcomes the stance of the police.

"We think the COP [Commissioner of Police] is very much on course.  We as an association over the years have done our best to make sure that most of our guys [bodybuilders] who are engage in such things do not repeat such acts”, says the Ashanti Regional President of the Association, Richard Osei-Oware.

Mr.  Osei-Oware said it is import for the Association to assist the Police to guard against the increasing involvement of body-builders in election violence.

“Over the years we've heard that during elections, people go in there hire bodybuilders or machomen as they are called to go and perpetuate mayhem; either going in there to pick ballot boxes, either intimidating people during elections. All these things, we condemn it," he said.

Ghana Bodybuilders and Fitness Association says its members will not be involved in electoral violence this year.

"This very year, I can assure the public that such things even if it's going to happen, is not going to happen in such magnitude that people will begin to mention the name again. It’s becoming an annual ritual- at elections politicians using machomen. We dont want that at all", he assured.

Some professional bodybuilders endorse moves by the association to rid the system of  ‘bad nuts.

Kumasi-based William Osei-Kankam who has been participating in flex bodybuilding competitions in Ghana, South Africa, among others is worried some of his colleagues strain their bodies just to engage in violence.

He pledged support for any peace initiative for violent-free elections, beginning with the move by the police to clamp down on wayward bodybuilders.

"It’s very sad. Its not good at all. If you see your fellow bodybuilder doing such stuff. We are trying to recreate our bodybuilding scene so that all the attention on those stuffs would be off from the game," William Osei-Kankam said.

Ebenezer Okyere says he trains to prepare himself for work as a security man, known as bouncer, at a night casino.

He blames politicians for baiting body builders to engage in election violence. He also appealed to his colleagues to resist any such political manipulation.