News:
September 1, 2010
The Opposition New Patriotic Party says security personnel in Tuesday’s by-election in Atiwa failed to live up to expectation leading to clashes that could have been avoided.
The party in a statement said “The inability of Ghana’s security services to provide adequate security in the just ended Atiwa by-election must be of grave concern to everybody. We saw the same security failures in the Akwatia by-elections. We saw the same in Chereponi. And now, we have seen the same in Atiwa. In all three by-elections under this administration, armed policemen looked on unconcerned while organised thugs wielding arms and other dangerous weapons attacked innocent people at will”.
“The persistent excuse given by such well armed but indifferent security personnel that they are unable to act because they have not received instruction to do so is, to say the least, ridiculous! What is the use of security presence if the personnel would look on unconcerned while armed thugs assault innocent voters and scare off others? “
Tuesday’s by-election ended with a landslide victory for the NPP, which had occupied the seat since 1996. Voting was smooth with minor hitches, until the latter part of voting when a severe clash ensued between some NPP Youth activists and the so-called Azoka boys of the NDC.
The incident which occurred at Abomosu left about seven NPP supporters injured with rumours earlier that two of them had died. The injuries, according to reports occurred when a vehicle allegedly driven by the NDC’s National Women Organizer Anita De-Souza, run over some NPP activists who had mounted a road block.
The New Patriotic Party General Secretary Kojo Owusu Afriyie said government must explain these security failures and the measures being taken to ensure that they will not recur.
“The recurring failure of state security to protect these by-elections poses frightening threat to our democracy.
The President, the Minister for Interior and the Inspector General of Police ought to explain this failure.
The New Patriotic Party believes that what appears to be security lapses are indeed a deliberate strategy to intimidate political opponents and give electoral advantage to the ruling NDC. The NPP does not rule out the complicity of senior elements in our security forces.
It is obvious that police personnel sent to election premises are instructed not to act without specific command from above while thugs encourage intimidating political opponents and their sympathisers”.
“Unless this threatening development is sincerely and boldly addressed by government, the country stands the danger of violent elections in 2012 when 230 constituencies (not one constituency) will need state security.
The implications of such negative signal even ahead of 2012 for the economy and the country as a whole are obvious” the statement said.
The Opposition New Patriotic Party says security personnel in Tuesday’s by-election in Atiwa failed to live up to expectation leading to skirmishes that could have been avoided.
The party in a statement said “The inability of Ghana’s security services to provide adequate security in the just ended Atiwa by-election must be of grave concern to everybody. We saw the same security failures in the Akwatia by-elections.
We saw the same in Chereponi. And now, we have seen the same in Atiwa. In all three by-elections under this administration, armed policemen looked on unconcerned while organised thugs wielding arms and other dangerous weapons attacked innocent people at will”.
“The persistent excuse given by such well armed but indifferent security personnel that they are unable to act because they have not received instruction to do so is, to say the least, ridiculous! What is the use of security presence if the personnel would look on unconcerned while armed thugs assault innocent voters and scare off others? “
Tuesday’s by-election ended with a landslide victory for the NPP, which had occupied the seat since 1996. Voting was smooth with minor hitches, until the latter part of voting when a severe clash ensued between some NPP Youth activists and the so-called Azoka boys of the NDC.
The incident which occurred at Abomosu left about seven NPP supporters injured with rumours earlier that two of them had died. The injuries, according to reports occurred when a vehicle allegedly driven by the NDC’s National Women Organizer Anita De-Souza, run over some NPP activists who had mounted a road block.
The New Patriotic Party General Secretary Kojo Owusu Afriyie said government must explain these security failures and the measures being taken to ensure that they will not recur.
“The recurring failure of state security to protect these by-elections poses frightening threat to our democracy. The President, the Minister for Interior and the Inspector General of Police ought to explain this failure.
The New Patriotic Party believes that what appears to be security lapses are indeed a deliberate strategy to intimidate political opponents and give electoral advantage to the ruling NDC.
The NPP does not rule out the complicity of senior elements in our security forces. It is obvious that police personnel sent to election premises are instructed not to act without specific command from above while thugs encourage intimidating political opponents and their sympathisers”.
“Unless this threatening development is sincerely and boldly addressed by government, the country stands the danger of violent elections in 2012 when 230 constituencies (not one constituency) will need state security. The implications of such negative signal even ahead of 2012 for the economy and the country as a whole are obvious” the statement said.
Source:kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh