The menace of political vigilantism and the security of Ghana

Political vigilantism appears to be supported by Ghana's developing political culture, as evidenced by the cyclical nature of vigilante group operations. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the risk political vigilantism poses to Ghana's security and how Ghanian officials securitized vigilantism. This thesis uses discourse analysis as a research methodology to analyze the construction of political vigilantism as threat posed to the security of Ghana through the lens of securitization. The research reveals that vigilantes in Ghana have established themselves as semi-autonomous organizations that pose a threat to the legitimacy of the state given their history of physically assaulting and forcibly removing government officials from office. Political vigilantism in Ghana is primarily caused by youth unemployment. The youth are vulnerable to the manipulations of the political elites because of Ghana’s high youth unemployment rate. Low trust in government institutions and security services, including the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service pushes the youth to engage in vigilantism. Political vigilante groups expect to be compensated for their role in securing electoral victory for their patrons and if these expectations are not met, vigilantes may resort to violence, either to demand their share of political rewards or to pressure politicians into fulfilling promises. Vigilantes’ use of violence to sabotage election processes raises the possibility of undermining national sovereignty and the democratic process by creating a climate of insecurity. If political vigilante groups continue to operate without resolving the related issues, they may eventually turn into militant organizations, which might have serious repercussions for an unstable and violent state. These risks make it more difficult for the state to fulfill its primary duty of protecting citizens. Political vigilantism not only poses a challenge to Ghana's democratic credentials in Africa, but it also poses a risk to the safety and security of Ghanaians. Vigilantism erodes the public trust, credibility and effectiveness of state institutions and law enforcement agencies such as the police and Electoral Commission. Ghana's soft power in international affairs tends to be undermined by political vigilantism. Consequently, to address the issue head-on, the study also recommends both state and non-state actors to adopt a broad-based strategy including rebuilding public confidence in state institutions through public education and strengthening law enforcement agencies. The study also recommends the incorporation of the role of nonstate actors, media, and activists in the securitization process to enhance how collective mobilization contribute to security politics.Keywords: Vigilantism, Democracy, Violence, Governance, Politics, Elections, Clientelism, Authority, Elite