Armed Forces speak on Banda incident

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Monday set the record straight on the reported allegation of registration restrictions placed on a section of the community in the Banda area by the Military.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency and signed by Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie, the Director of Public Relations, said the Bono Regional Security Council met representatives of the two main political parties; New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress on July 30 to deliberate on the peaceful conduct of the registration exercise.

It said that was in the wake of the disturbances that resulted in the unfortunate demise of one person.

The statement said the meeting resulted in the signing of an agreement by Mr Joe Danquah, NPP Parliamentary Candidate, and Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, NDC Parliamentary candidate and witnessed by the Regional Minister.

“We the undersigned agreed today to maintain peace in the Banda District during the remaining days of the voters registration exercise and after, until the end of the 2020 General Election in December.”

The Agreement also states that the REGSEC would give the necessary security to the Banda Constituency and the entire Bono Region before, during and after the election.

“The REGSEC and the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders should meet the chiefs to determine the boundaries of Banda,” it said.

It said the two parliamentary candidates, Mr Joe Danquah and Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, should stop bussing people to the registration centres; “if indeed they were ordinary residents, they should go there on their own volition”.

The statement said political parties should educate their agents at the registration centres to fill challenge forms to challenge people whose citizenship or residency they doubted and that no physical violence should be used in preventing people from registering.

Additionally, the two candidates should pledge their support to ensure peace in the Constituency by signing the Peace Agreement.

“No specific ethnic group was targeted in this regard. The public is accordingly informed of these developments,” the statement said.