Police, Let My Vote Count Alliance in tango over new voters register demo
There is a raging controversy over the decision by the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), a social pressure group, to stage another demonstration today over the need for a new voters register.
While the group had, earlier yesterday, been given permission by an Accra Circuit Court to stage its planned demonstration today, the police later in the day secured an order at another Accra Circuit Court to stop the group from staging the demonstration.
The circuit court had earlier yesterday declared that the restraining order stopping the LMVCA protestors from picketing on the premises of the EC on September 29, 2015 had expired its lawful existence.
The court, presided over by Mr M.E. Essando, stated that the ex-parte injunction secured by the police had elapsed its 10-day lawful existence on September 28, 2015.
It, therefore, gave clearance to the organisers of the demonstration to go ahead with their planned demonstration.
Mr Essando told the police that they could, however, file a fresh motion for another restraining order the same day.
He, however, added that the police could do so on notice and must give the protestors the opportunity to oppose the motion.
Counter-order
Determined to secure the restraining order, the police hurriedly rushed to another circuit court with an ex-parte injunction to secure a restraining order late in the afternoon when most of the courts were due to close.
The court, presided over by Mrs Jennifer Anne Myers Ahmed, ordered the organisers of the demonstration to fix another date in October to give the police adequate time to prepare to ensure the safety of the demonstrators and the public.
“It is hereby ordered that the organisers of the Let My Vote Count Alliance are restrained from demonstrating on September 29, 2015 but fix another date in October to give the police adequate time to prepare to ensure the safety of the demonstrators and the public,” it stated.
The police had been arguing that the EC’s office was a security zone and should be inaccessible to the demonstrators.
Background
On September 16, 2015, the LMVCA staged a demonstration to pressurise the EC to compile a new voters register but it turned chaotic.
Confusion broke out near the Holy Spirit Cathedral traffic intersection at Adabraka when the demonstrators are said to have veered off the agreed route to the Hearts Park and took the road leading to the EC office to present their petition.
The police immediately blocked the road leading to the area, and when the demonstrators insisted, the police fired tear gas and used water canons to disperse them.
The demonstrators were made up of members of the LMVCA, the Movement for Change (MFC) and the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG).
To contain the huge crowd of demonstrators, the police called for reinforcement and positioned armoured vehicles on the road to control any form of movement.
That made it more difficult for the demonstrators to have their way through.
The police also cordoned off the headquarters of the EC, near the Ridge Roundabout. Barricades were mounted at all the roads leading to the EC.
Arrest
Drama unfolded when the police arrested about 20 of the demonstrators, including a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.
Some of the demonstrators claimed that they were whipped and injured by the police.
Police ex-parte motion
Detective Chief Inspector John Acquah who went to Mrs Ahmed’s court said he had been instructed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to make a declaration to the effect that “There has been an intelligence source that suspected hardened criminals had planned to attack, rob and cause panic within Accra and other regions.
“They intend to attack policemen on essential duty points, similar to the incident in Ho, where a police constable was shot and killed by some unidentified armed men.
“There is intelligence-led mapping-up operation against some criminal dens within Accra and other regions from September 25 to 30, 2015 to arrest these criminals.”
He told the court that in view of the chieftaincy dispute in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the police had deployed enough personnel to the place.
“These same personnel are always used as support team to assist the Accra Regional Police Command to safeguard the smooth conduct of the demonstration.
“This deployment has overstretched our resources owing to the above-mentioned reasons,” he added.
According to Chief Inspector Acquah, the police could not get enough men to provide the needed security for the 5,000 demonstrators expected to take part in the planned event.
“The police are praying the court to stop the demonstrators from carrying out their demonstration on September 29, 2015 and fix another date in October to give the police adequate time to prepare to ensure the safety of the demonstrators and the police,” he added.
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