We Never Predicted Any Violence Ahead Of Ghana’s Presidential Election – ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States has come out to refute claims in a media report regarding its recent Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission to Ghana.

The report suggested that the ECOWAS mission had predicted violence in the upcoming Ghanaian election, but the regional body has come out to demy it.

According to ECOWAS, it categorically denounces the tabloid’s dishonest reportage, and reports of such missions always remain confidential and meant only for the eyes of the President of the Commission to aid his engagements with the authorities in the member states.

The body added that at no time did they predict any form of violence ahesd of any country’s electoral process.

It read, “The attention of the commission of the Economic Community of West African States has been drawn to a sensational article by The Herald tabloid of August 21, 2024 purported to capture ‘a draft statement’ on the findings of its recent Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission to Ghana under the crudely misleading banner ‘ECOWAS Mission predicts violence at Ghana’s 2024 polls.

The commission categorically denounces the tabloid’s dishonest reportage. To educate The Herald, ECOWAS pre-electoral missions do not issue statements on their findings.

Besides, reports of such missions are confidential and meant only for the eyes of the President of the Commission to aid his engagements with the authorities in the member states. In this instance, the preliminary report is still undergoing quality control.

At no time before, during, and after the fact-finding mission has ECOWAS ‘predicted violence’ in the electoral process.

The commission, therefore, finds it preposterous that The Herald would disingenuously repeat the standard operating procedures of ECOWAS fact-finding missions, twist issues that are in the public domain in Ghana, and try to push its partisan conclusions into the mouth of ECOWAS.

Moreover, ECOWAS reiterated its high regard for Ghana, hailing the country as a model of democratic maturity and tolerance in the region.”

WOW.