After seven months of a legal marathon at the Supreme Court of Ghana, Ghanaians now await the final stages of the case during which the litigating parties will present their addresses to enable the judges to give their ruling.
Characteristic of the Ghanaian, there is this premonition that something nasty could happen after the ruling. It is perceived that those who may not take kindly to the decision if it does not favour the party they support may be unruly and resort to vandalism.
Such unguarded actions cannot be ruled out, especially in a country that is sharply polarised along partisan lines.
Events around the continent bear clear testimony of what could happen when the results of elections are disputed. However, we in Ghana do not want to go the way some of our neighbours went. We should rather allow reason to prevail.
That explains why the declared losers of the presidential election held in December last year decided to go to court to challenge the declaration of John Dramani Mahama as President of the Republic by the Electoral Commission (EC).
Ghanaians have followed proceedings in court with bated breath and formed their own opinions based on what they saw and heard during proceedings.
What is uncertain now is how the supporters of the petitioners and the respondents will react after the Supreme Court verdict.
No wonder that moments after counsel for the petitioners and the respondents had brought their cross-examination and re-examination to an end, the National Peace Council (NPC) and other democratic institutions decided to start preparing the minds of Ghanaians towards the Supreme Court verdict.
The NPC went ahead to organise a peace summit, with all the protagonists in the Ghanaian political arena, as well as distinguished statesmen and opinion leaders, converging on the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra to brainstorm and sensitise the people of this country to accept the verdict in good faith and remain united, since the ruling can be in favour of only one of the litigating parties.
The path chosen by the NPC and other civil society organisations in ensuring that nothing untoward happens after the Supreme Court pronouncement is highly commendable.
It is equally gratifying to note that the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies have also embarked on a crusade to urge the entire populace to remain calm by expressing their commitment to peace, particularly in maintaining law and order in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict.
The Mirror, in commending the leadership of the Ghana Police Service, and other security chiefs, for this assurance, also wishes to admonish the security agencies to remain as neutral as possible, especially in its handling of any skirmishes that may arise.
When the people suspect that there is some collusion or alignment between the security agencies and one party in the case, it could fuel tension in the country.
It is widely acknowledged that the greatest challenge that the human race has ever faced is the maintenance of peace.
It is, therefore, important at this critical stage in the life of this country that all stakeholders, especially the National Commission on Civic Education, the religious bodies, civil society groups, political party leaders, as well as individuals, do step up their game through education and let the people understand that the peace of this country is supreme and needs the efforts of every Ghanaian to maintain, protect and safeguard the durability of that peace.
The Mirror also wishes to make it clear to all that Ghana is the only home we have and we the citizens are the only people who can protect its sovereignty.
By The Mirror
Graphic.com.gh/Ghana
