Mob chase away registration officers

Sunyani (B/A) March 17, GNA - Irate youth at Badu in the Wenchi District of Brong-Ahafo Region on Tuesday chased out the electoral and registration officials from the town and threatened neither to register nor participate in Election 2004.

Wearing red bands around their heads and arms and chanting war songs, they said they would never register nor take part in the elections until they received favourable response from President john Agyekum Kufuor to their petition demanding the location of the capital of the newly created Tain District at Badu instead of Nsawkaw.

Briefing newsmen on the incident in Sunyani on Wednesday, Mr Amadu Sulley, Regional Director of Electoral Commission (EC), said on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Anane Amankwah, Wenchi District Electoral Officer, informed him that around 0630 hours on Tuesday, while he was distributing voter registration materials to registration staff at Badu, a group of about 100 angry youth besieged his official vehicle.

He said Mr Amankwah tried to explain to them the need to register but they warned him to leave the place immediately or they would vandalise the vehicle and destroy the registration materials.

The Regional EC Director said when the District Electoral Officer was lodging a complaint with the Police at Badu, the mob rushed to the Police station and attempted to attack him amid threats to set the vehicle ablaze.

Mr Sulley said sensing danger, Mr Amankwah, who was accompanied by an official of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), left the scene to Wenchi where he reported the matter to the Wenchi District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Joe Danquah and the Wenchi Divisional Police Commander.

He said before Mr Amankwah and the BNI official left Badu, the uncontrollable stone-throwing youth hooted at them amid drumming and chanting of war songs.

The DCE and the Divisional Police Commander quickly organized an emergency meeting at Badu with the Assembly Members and opinion leaders to convince the people to register but they remained adamant.

The Regional Director said at the meeting, the Assembly Member for Badu East electoral Area insisted that until the President located the capital of the newly-created Tain District at Badu or allowed the town to be part of the Wenchi District, the people would neither register nor exercise their franchise in December.

Mr Sulley appealed to security personnel to move to the area as early as possible to restore law and order so that the registration officials could carry out their legitimate duties.

Under section 24 of the C.I. 12: "Anyone who prevents electoral officials, either physically or spiritually from doing their work or prevents any Ghanaian from registering commits an offence", which attracts a punishment of imprisonment not exceeding one year.

Meanwhile the Brong-Ahafo Regional Security Council (REGSEC) on Wednesday met to find solution to the problem in Badu, which had made it impossible for the majority of the population to register.

In attendance were the Regional Minister, Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Regional Coordinating Director, Mr. F.O. Boateng and Mr Sulley. Others were the Regional Police Commander Mr Akrofi Asiedu, Lieutenant-Colonel Alhassan Abu, Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion and representatives of some political parties.

The Regional Minister noted that a section of the people of Badu were preventing others from participating "because Badu was not chosen as the capital of the newly-created Tain District".

The people have opted to be part of Wenchi West instead of being part of the Tain District, he said.

Nana Seinti called on political party representatives at the meeting to task some of their members to go to the town and talk to their colleagues to help maintain peace and tranquillity.

"Security personnel will be sent to the town to ensure that electoral officials operate without molestation and intimidation", he said, adding: "We cannot tolerate and maintain undisciplined people in the country."

Giving a brief history about the location of the capital of the new district at Nsawkaw, Mr Sulley said all the traditional rulers and stakeholders of the two towns - Nsawkaw and Badu - and some government representatives met at Wenchi to discuss where to site the capital town for the proposed new District.

He said looking at the criteria, all the people agreed to the proposal to site the capital at Nsawkaw because of its central location.