NPP wants perpetrators of violence at K’si NDC office punished

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned last Monday’s shooting incident at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) office at Amakom, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, which left one person dead and another seriously injured.

At a press conference at its headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, the Communications Director of the party, Mr Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, called on the various security agencies to expedite action to bring the perpetrators to book.

Recall

A group of individuals, believed to be members of the Hawks, a vigilante group linked to the NDC, last Monday disrupted a meeting between some members of the National and Ashanti Regional executives of the party.

Members of the vigilante group are said to have shot indiscriminately at the forecourt of the office, killing one person and causing serious injury to another.

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has since launched investigations into the matter in an attempt to bring the culprits to book.

Boot-for-boot comment

Meanwhile, the NPP has accused former President John Dramani Mahama of bearing some responsibility in the display of violence at Amakom ahead of its presidential primaries.

According to Mr Asamoah, a recent comment made by President Mahama in which he suggested that the NDC would match its opponents “boot-for-boot” was to blame for the recent demonstration of violence within the party.

He said the perpetrators of the act, purported to be members of the NDC, were “inspired” by the former president’s comments and acted in the manner in which they did.

“The former president appears to be the inspiration behind the violence within his own party. His ‘boot for boot’ statement appears to underpin the bravery of his own party members who engaged in the act,” he stated.

Reacting to the call by President Mahama that the police should investigate the shooting incident and bring the culprits to book, Mr Asamoah said the NPP found the call intriguing since the hierarchy of the NDC had expressed mistrust in the Ghana Police Service to effectively deliver on its mandate.

“It is shocking that following the show of violence within their party, they have found a renewed confidence in the police,” he stated.

Deliberate agenda

Mr Asamoah refuted claims that the country had been plunged into a state of insecurity following recent cases of violence in the capital and some parts of the country.

He said although few cases had been recorded in which the security agencies had been tasked to deal with them, there was a deliberate agenda on the part of the NDC to blow the issues out of proportion.

The move, he added, was intended to infuse a sense of political violence and fear in the country ahead of the 2020 elections.

He described as wrong a decision by the NDC to boycott the Emile Short Commission of Enquiry which is currently probing the shooting incident which occurred in the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election on January 31, 2019.

“The country deserves a responsible opposition which will be part of that enquiry and will offer constructive contributions to the work of the commission in order to find solutions to matters that border on the country’s security,” Mr Asamoah stated.

Policy discussion

Mr Asamoah, however, urged the hierarchy of the NDC to focus attention on discussions that bordered on the social, infrastructural and economic policies that had a direct impact on the quality of life of Ghanaians.

That, he said, would make them become a “responsible opposition” capable of offering alternative solutions to matters that bordered on the welfare of the citizenry.