The Central Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Takyir-Mensah, has called for the arrest of Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, Cassiel Ato Forson, for his involvement in violent attacks at the Ajumanko-Besease Registration Center.
In a press conference, held at Ajumako-Besease on Friday, August 7, Mr Takyir Mensah called for the arrest of the sitting MP as against accusations by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Dr. Rashid Kwesi Etuaful, and his supporters rather caused the violence
“We are calling the general public to treat the said publication as false,” the NPP Regional Secretary said.
“The New Patriotic Party is a very law abiding and under no circumstances are we going to take the law into our hands and endanger the peace and tranquility that the good people of Ajumako-Besease in particular and for that matter the constituency is enjoying.”
The NDC Central Regional Communications Officer, Kwesi Dawood, in a press conference on Thursday, had stated that on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, the Director of Operations at the Presidency, Lord Commey, Minister of Transport Kwaku Ofori-Asiamah, NPP Regional Party Chairman Robert Kutin Jnr, Parliamentary Candidate Dr Rashid Kwesi Etuaful, Regional Research/Elections Officer John Mbroh together with the Mankessim Divisional Police Commander, ACP Owoahene, had a previous meeting at the office of the District Chief Executive to cause violence.
“We place on record that no such meeting has been [held] in the Central Region since the 2020 voters registration exercise started let alone to be in Ajumanko on the 5th of August, 2020 to be part of any meeting to cause violence in Besease.”
In an interview with 3news.com‘s Central Regional Correspondent Kwame Kakraba, Mr Mensah added there is evidence on social media to show that the Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, Ato Forson, is plotting the violence.
In the viral video, he said, the MP is heard loudly telling a group of young men and women he had met and was arranging to bus to the Constituency to support him retain the seat and that in the unlikely situation that former President John Mahama becomes the next President, he (Ato Forson) will be the finance Minister.
“This tells you that even before we go to the polls to cast our ballots on 7th December, 2020, Hon Ato Forson’s phantom ambition is to become the Finance Minister. This has been the motivation of Ato Forson to the extent that even if it takes non-indigenes of the Constituency to vote for him or killing, beating and maiming people for him to achieve his selfish ambition.”
He noted that the Constituency had been peaceful all this while until Ato Forson appeared on the political scene in 2008 as the NDC Parliamentary Candidate.
Since then the Constituency has been the breeding grounds for political violence.
He said Mr Ato Forson sees defeat staring him and the NDC in the face, hence their resort to violence and busing non-indigenes to register in Constituency “but we assure them that the Central Regional branch of the NPP led by Chairman Robert Kutin Jnr is working harder to annex the Ajumanko seat come 7th December”.
The people of Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency, he observed, have been proud beneficiaries of President Nana Addo’s numerous social intervention programmes such as Free SHS, restoration of nursing and teacher trainee allowances, free water and subsidized electricity bill for all the customers for six months amongst others.
“We call on the police to speed their investigation to fish out the perpetrators of dastardly acts that took place in Ajumako Besease on Wednesday, 5th August,2020 and let them face the full rigors of the law.
“Those NDC hoodlums who have perpetrated violence against the NPP party supporters in the course of the voters registration exercise and are on the police’s wanted list are Amos Mensah, Frank Okyere, Thomas Woode, Isaac Andoh, Godwin Doughan and Anabi Musah.”
By Kwame Karkarba|3news.com|Central Region|Ghana