General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said the just-ended voter registration exercise carried out by the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) will go down in history as, by far, the most violent registration exercise ever conducted in the Fourth Republic.
He revealed at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, September 3 that the exercise witnessed murder cases, assaults and attacks on sitting Members of Parliament.
The incidents, he alleges, were orchestrated by officials of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) as well as some government officials.
Over 16 million people were registered during the exercise.
Mr Asiedu Nketia said: “This simple exercise of compiling a voter roll witnessed at least two cases of murder including that of a young teacher at Banda and another at Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West Constituency all in the Bono Region of Ghana.
“The exercise witnessed several incidences of brutalities including gunshot injuries, near fatal attacks at least on two sitting Members of Parliament, Honourable Alhaji Bawa of Ejura Sekyere Dumase Constituency and Honorable Alhaji Collins Dauda of Asutifi South Constituency, and physical molestation of innocent citizens in a manner that has never been seen before in Ghana.
“There were also widespread reports of open display of weapons and open gunshots of live ammunition by highly placed government officials such as Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Mavis Hawa Koomson, and Honorable Joe Dankwa, the CEO of of the Middle Belt Development Authority, and NPP parliamentary candidate.
“There were also widely reported cases of brutalities on opposition party agents in the Tano South Constituency and surrounding areas by NPP vigilante [groups] under the direct instruction of the Deputy Regional Minister of Ahafo Region, Honourable Yeboah Serkyere Benjamin.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana