Voter registration exercise: NDC calls on police to be fair
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Ghana Police Service to be professional and impartial in the discharge of their duties in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
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The party also urged the police to be fair to all actors in the political space during the 21-day nationwide exercise which started on May 7 and scheduled to end on May 27.
A statement issued and signed by the NDC’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, also reminded the police of their responsibility to protect all stakeholders in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
Response
The statement was in response to the arrest of the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South in the Ahafo Region, Alhaji Collins Dauda, in connection with an incident that occurred in Kukuom in the Asunafo South Constituency in the same region last Saturday, May 11, 2024 in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
"We wish to place on record that at no point was the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Hon. Collins Dauda, present at the Kukuom registration centre on Saturday, May 11, 2024.”
“Contrary to the claim by the Ghana Police Service, Hon. Collins Dauda was busily monitoring the ongoing registration exercise in his constituency, Asutifi South, and was nowhere near the incident at Kukuom which is located in the Asunafo South Constituency," it said.
"The NDC condemns in no uncertain terms the unprofessional haste of the Ghana Police Service to publish the so-called arrest of the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, and create the impression all over the media as though he has committed a crime," the statement said.
"For emphasis, Hon. Collins Dauda has committed no crime. The allegation by the Police that he was involved in some disturbances at the ongoing voter registration in Kukuom is palpably false and must be treated with the contempt it deserves," it stressed.
Police
A police statement last Sunday indicated that Alhaji Dauda was detained in connection with a recent disturbance during the limited voter registration exercise in Kukuom in the Ahafo Region.
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Alhaji Dauda has since been released on bail.
Peace
The party reiterated its commitment to peace in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise. "We are a law abiding political party committed to respecting the laws of the country.
Our parliamentary candidates, agents and supporters throughout the country have so far comported themselves in the ongoing exercise, even in the face of extreme provocation and in some cases, violent attacks," it said.
"We are however concerned by the widespread violent incidents across the country in which NDC supporters have been at the receiving end of unprovoked brutalities, intimidation and harassments from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), as happened in Adugyama in the Ahafo-Ano South East Constituency in the Ashanti Region few days ago," it said.
"We cannot accept a situation where the Police choose to watch on and take little action against NPP thugs who unleash unprovoked violence on NDC supporters in broad daylight," it stated.
"Even though we in the NDC will never initiate any such attacks, let it be known that our supporters reserve the right to defend themselves against violence or attacks," the party stated.