OccupyGhana wants Carlos Ahenkorah dismissed, prosecuted

Pressure group OccupyGhana is demanding that former Deputy Trade Minister, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah be dismissed, prosecuted and his candidature as New Patriotic Party parliamentary nominee for Tema West withdrawn.

The pressure group says it is disappointed with the behaviour and actions of Carlos, who having admitted to testing positive for COVID-19, and before obtaining a subsequent negative test, "recklessly and callously put himself in the public space, visiting registration centres in the Tema West Constituency."

Carlos Ahenkorah is captured in a viral video jubilating with others after he won his parliamentary primary for his bid to be re-elected as Tema West MP. He has since resigned from office as deputy trade minister.

But according to a statement OccupyGhana issued Friday apparently before he resigned from his post, Carlos Ahenkorah by his actions put his fellow citizens at such high risk of contracting the coronavirus disease and as a minister of state of a government that is battling hard against the pandemic, he has shown a remarkable lack of good sense on the social and physical distancing that is required by law, on the pain of criminal prosecution.

"His actions show gross disrespect to the pronouncements of the President concerning keeping the populace safe, and his behaviour makes a mockery of any enactments government has made in the fight against the coronavirus.

"This is especially worrying in the wake of the political primaries, which in the main, also ignored the law and common sense of social and physical distancing, and the obvious struggle of the Electoral Commission to enforce these rules in the ongoing voter registration. We fear that the combination of these events, and the irresponsible conduct of government officials such as Mr Ahenkorah will lead to an increase in infections and possibly, deaths.

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"These are the reasons why we find the deputy Minister’s conduct despicable, outrageous and selfish. This conduct and his defensive nonchalance are not befitting of a person occupying the high offices of a Deputy Minister.

"If no steps are taken against Mr Ahenkorah, it will cast the government as not just being hypocritical, but as being incapable of keeping the citizenry safe and incompetent to enforce laws it has made. Many have been taken to task for doing way less than Mr. Ahenkorah has done, including not wearing a mask while driving alone.

"We therefore respectfully call upon the President to remove him from office forthwith. We also call on the police to investigate his actions, and if found to have breached the law, to prosecute him. We also call on the New Patriotic Party to withdraw him as their candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"We conclude by urging the government and the Electoral Commission to ensure that participants in the ongoing voters’ registration fully comply with the COVID19 security, health, safety, and personal hygiene protocols."