Dumsor vigil: Lawyer accuses gov’t of sabotage

One of the lawyers for the #dumsormuststop vigil organisers has accused government of attempting to sabotage the May 16 event.

Mr Kofi Bentil wrote on his Facebook wall that: “Our government people are spending lots of energy trying to stop a simple lawful vigil of concerned citizens. Instead of stopping the terrible energy crisis and dumsor which is killing our people.”

“STOP DUMSOR, not OUR VIGIL,” he said.

The vigil, which the organisers have sad will be a peaceful protest against the Government’s failure to address the three-year-old power crisis in the country, is being led by actress Yvonne Nelson, with support from actress Lydia Forson, rapper Sarkodie and other celebrities. Though the Police have agreed to the event, the organisers have been going on a merry-go-round to secure a venue for convergence.

University of Ghana, Legon and Total, owners of On-The-Run near Legon have declined, in turns, the use of their premises as the converging point for the vigil.

“Please note that our Company, Total Petroleum Ghana Limited, which is the owner of the said location, has not been contacted for any such programme and would, therefore, request the general public to disregard the announcements running on various media,” Olivier Van Parys, managing director of Total Petroleum Ghana Limited, said in a statement less than 24 hours after the University of Ghana had also issued a similar notice.

They said the organisers never engaged them to make a formal request for the use of their premises before associating them with it in the media.

The Organisers, according to reports intend converging within the Tetteh Quarshie enclave due to the latest development, a situation which elicited taunts from the CEO of the National Youth Authority against Nelson.

“What a show of cluelessness? These noises about dumsor are coming from a girl who would make a drum out of the skin of her own mother in order to sound her own praises. You can't get your act together for something as easy as seeking permission to use a venue, yet you would insult people who are running a country? You must not be a genius to know that you need permission to use someone's premises - public or private - for your events,” he wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile the Ga Traditional Council has also petitioned the Police to pull the rug under the vigil with reason that its annual ban on drumming and noisemaking, which precedes the homowo festival, is currently in place, thus allowing the vigil to take place will amount to disrespecting the traditions of the Ga people.