Bugri Naabu only helping police to do their work – NPP Secretary

The Northern Regional Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sule Salifu has stated that the regional Chairman of the party Bugri Naabu was only helping the Ghana Police to drum home their advocacy programme of preventing election wreckers from snatching ballot boxes.

According to him, supporters of the party in the region are solidly behind the statement made by Mr. Naabu.

Mr Naabu is yet to honour police invitation for stating that well built men (machomen) will be assigned to each polling station to protect ballot boxes and prevent people who will foment troubles during the December polls.

But speaking on Ultimate Breakfast Show hosted by Lantam Papanko, Salifu said the Northern Regional Chairman was only adding his voice to numerous calls by civil society organisations on the need for polling agents to be vigilant.

‘If NDC or any party attempt to snatch ballot boxes, it would be resisted. If the police are at the polling station and somebody comes to steal boxes they will resist it. So Mr Naabu is only helping them to spread the message around to prevent people from snatching ballot boxes. This is a regional affair and as party supporters and officers, we are solidly behind the statement by our Chairman Bugri Naabu, because in our view, it will urge our supporters to remain vigilant, his statement is not criminal at all.

The information going round by the media and NDC is a fabricated one, infact he re-echoed or joined the numerous calls from civil society, the Ghana Police Service and other interested democratic institutions that on election day, our agents must be vigilant and should not allow anybody to bribe them, and do the work with the commitment and ensure that the NPP wins,’ he stated.

Mr. Salifu refuted claims that Mr. Naabu’s comment has the potency of inciting people to violence saying ‘if we wanted to do that we will have done that long ago’.

He claimed the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has a record of rigging elections and that Mr. Naabu was only offering advice to party supporters.

He warned that the NPP will not allow the NDC rig the December polls.

‘Now where he made the issue of the ballot boxes was that, elections have never been won by the NDC in the country before, he made that categorical statement that elections won by the NDC have always been rigged.

And that they should not allow the NDC to rig elections on December 7, 2016 when you vote don’t go home, stay by the ballot boxes, wait until counting is done, wait until you see that what has been counted reflect on the pink sheet, and also reflect the will of the Ghanaian people,’ he explained.

The Northern Regional Secretary of NPP who described Mr Naabu as law abiding citizen said the latter will definitely honour his promise of honouring the police invitation.