Political Vigilantism and the Security of Elections in Odododiodio Constituency, Ghana

Abstract

Elections in Ghana since 1992 have been associated with increasing features of political vigilantism which are driven by structural factors such as mistrust unemployment, and winner-takes-all (WTA) syndrome. This study therefore explores the drivers of political vigilantism, the motivations and the actions of vigilantes and the effects of the actions of vigilante groups on the security of elections in the Odododiodio Constituency of Ghana. Theories of structuration, horizontal inequality and clientelism underpin this study. Guided by the interpretivist philosophy, the study dwells on qualitative approaches, by using purposive and snowball sample techniques to solicit data from 18 respondents. Vigilantes and residents in Odododiodio Constituency, security personnel, officials of the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC), Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Gh), a security expert and a politician constitute the stakeholders for this study. The data is analysed using narrative analysis. This study contends that political vigilantism is driven by structural issues coupled with people’s response (individual motivation) to these structural factors. The outcomes are that vigilantes strategically adopt intimidation, violence and destruction of electoral materials to ensure they secure power for their political parties which consequently compromise the security of elections in the constituency. The study identified the potential of regulations to effectively curb vigilantism despite uncertainties as to its effectiveness. The study concludes that managing political vigilantism is critical to security, peace and development. Thus, it proposes that concerted efforts in the enforcement of state laws against vigilantism devoid of personal interests and guaranteed prosecution of offenders are necessary for the security of elections.