The West Africa Centre for Counter Extremism (WACCE) has described the 2024 general elections as one of the most violent and deadly in the 4th Republic, with six people losing their lives while others suffered various degrees of injuries.

The security organization also described several fire incidents during the election process as unfortunate, including the burning of the Electoral Commission’s (EC) office in Ayensuano in the Eastern Region, on December 10, 2024, a fire at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools in the Ablekuma North constituency where ballot boxes were stored, the destruction of the EC office in Damongo in the Savannah Region, on December 8, 2024, and attacks on public transport systems, including the Metro Mass Transport workshop in Sunyani on December 10, 2024.

In a preliminary report released on January 7, 2024, it was stated that with many more victims receiving various treatments, the final casualty count is expected to be higher. As a result, WACCE's expectation of zero fatalities for the 2024 elections was not realised, which they consider an indelible stain on both the democratic image and the integrity of Ghana’s electoral process.

The report detailed several violent incidents during the election period. On December 7, 2024, at the Nyankpala lorry station in the Tolon constituency, 31-year-old steel bender Haruna Shaibu was shot and killed on the spot. On the same day in the Damongo Constituency, a 35-year-old man died from a gunshot wound during the collation process when he was struck by a stray bullet.

It also mentioned a shooting incident in the Ewutu Senya East constituency in the Central Region on December 7, 2024, which resulted in one death. During the collation process at the Electoral Commission office in Mankranso, 33-year-old Kwasi Nimo succumbed to gunshot wounds at the Mankranso government hospital, while six others were injured in a confrontation over alleged election rigging.

The report highlighted an incident in Offinso North in the Ashanti Region, where a confrontation over looting at a warehouse containing fertilizers and rice led to the stabbing death of one person. Another person was injured by gunshot wounds and later died at the hospital.

It mentioned several other arrests of armed persons and shooting incidents that, fortunately, did not result in casualties. One such incident occurred at the Nsawam Adoagyiri Constituency Collation Center in the Eastern Region on December 8, 2024.

"We consider the voting process as largely peaceful without time-wasting or technical hitches in most places and, many voters commend the process as seamless and in most cases, cordial. And whilst the voting process was largely peaceful and smooth, the counting and results declaration processes undermined the idea of peaceful elections and the conditions considered for free, fair and peaceful elections," the statement said. 

While WACCE regarded the election process as an electoral success, it expressed concern over the disastrous security outcome, marked by needless violence and the deaths of six persons. The organization emphasised that the outcome was particularly troubling given the lessons learned from the 2020 elections, which had seen eight deaths recorded.

"The last lap of contentious collations and declarations of nine outstanding constituencies and the controversial issues surrounding them have a tendency of throwing the 9th parliament into a political tumult at its commencement and beyond."

The statement, signed by Executive Director of WACCE, Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, acknowledged the significant gesture of former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in conceding defeat before the official declaration by the EC, highlighting how that act helped prevent potential violence.

"By the early concession, Ghana averted potential violence resulting from undue tensions, misinformation and potential conjectures as is typical of critical election outcomes."

Mr. Muqthar commended the Ghana Police Service for arresting 132 suspects across the country for post-election disturbances, many of whom are currently undergoing court proceedings. He acknowledged that, despite some lapses, the GPS was largely in control, with most of the arrests being carried out swiftly.