Asiedu Nketiah: I didn't mastermind illegal registration of Ivorians

The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has refuted claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that he masterminded the illegal registration of 60 nationals of Ivory Coast in the just-ended voters’ registration exercise.

Addressing a press briefing on Thursday [September 3, 3030] in Accra, Mr Nketiah, said the NDC rather intercepted an Ivorian registered truck at Banda Kabrono in the Bono Region and prevented the Ivorian nationals aboard the bus from escaping across the border with their Ghana voter identification cards.

Supporting his claims with videos which he said were of the Ivorians who were apprehended by an NDC group, he accused the governing NPP officials in the region for facilitating and organising the foreign nationals to participate in the voters registration exercise.

"Following a tip-off, the NDC youth in Drobo, an NDC stronghold close to the border with the assistance of comrades from Sampa, intercepted the foreign-registered vehicle by physically blocking the road leading to  Cote d’Ivoire. At this point the NDC invited the media to the scene and made it impossible for the immigration officials not to act," Mr Nketiah alleged.

"The media captured some of the Ivorians with their carte d'identité and the voter ID cards and they confessed having been brought in by one Yao to register and get a payment of GH¢300 each".

He said while the NDC was ensuring that the arrests would lead to prosecution, the NPP General Secretary, Mr John Boadu organised a press briefing and accused him (Asiedu Nketiah) of bringing-in the Ivorians.

Voter registration most violent

The NDC scribe stated that the just-ended voter registration was the most violent in the history of Ghana's fourth Republic because it witnessed cases of murder and several incidences of brutalities.

He said the "simple exercise of compiling a voter role witnessed at least two (2) cases of murder, including that of a young teacher at Banda and the other at Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West Constituency all in the Bono Region.

"The Exercise witnessed several incidences of brutalities including gunshot injuries, near-fatal attacks on at least two sitting Members of Parliament (Alhaji Bawa of Ejura Sekyere Odumase Constituency and 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 shots of live ammunition by highly placed government officials such as the Minister for Special Developments, Mavis Hawa Koomsons and Joe Danquah, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Banda".

Below is a copy of the NDC's press statement on ethnocentric harassment and violence during the registration exercise

More to follow...