NDC Reveals Why Dauda Was Arrested

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), the country's largest opposition party, has revealed the purported secret behind the arrest of its chairman for Brong Ahafo, Alhaji Collins Dauda, by the security some fortnight ago.

The NDC, at a press conference in Sunyani last week, suggested that the arrest of Alhaji Dauda was to silence him in his crusade against what they suspect was fraudulent practices in the timber industry embarked by the government.

The NDC, according to its spokesman, Mr. Justice Samuel Adjei, the Northern sector coordinator for TEIN, Alhaji Dauda, had criticised an illegal allocation of the Asukese Forest Reserve to Mrs. Comfort Wereko-Brobby.

Justice Adjei, as quoted in the press statement, said the concession was given to Mrs. Wereko-Brobby at the time a ban on Timber Utilisation Contract (TUC) was in force.

But the NDC said no individual member of the party would keep quiet on the apparent deviousness embarked on by the NPP government.

They also noted that the arrest was also part of NPP's diabolic political programme to criminalize every speech and action of NDC functionaries.

The NDC has therefore cautioned the NPP government that it would resist any attempt to gag the NDC.

Mr. Justice Adjei warned that if the harassment and intimidation of the NPP government continued, the NDC would be forced to come out with its true colours.

"If you push us harder to the wall, we shall bounce back on you', said Justice Adjei, who is also the NDC Deputy Regional Youth organiser for Brong Ahafo.

The Brong Ahafo Regional branch of the party has therefore condemned the arrest of its chairman, describing it as illegal and politically motivated.

According to the NDC, if Alhaji Dauda had fallen into the hands of the law by parking his car near the private house of the President, then the security personnel on duty that fateful day, must be arrested and charged with negligence of duty.

They questioned how come the chairman was not arrested at the spot, but about 3 hours after the incident at his house.

The party said, following critically the briefs of Alhaji Dauda and explanations from the Minister of Information, Nana Akomeah, CID boss, Mr. Asante Apeatu and comments made by a number of government officials, it came to the conclusion that it was an attempt by the NPP government to intimidate the NDC as a party and other opposition parties.

The trumped-up charge against the NDC chairman, according to the spokesman was that, he was at the private premises of President Kufuor for unlawful purposes and caused a security scare.

The Brong Ahafo NDC queried, "what are the perimeters of a private house within which someone could be accused of unlawful entry and loitering?"

The statement continued that: "is the car park, where Alhaji Dauda parked his car, part of the president's private premises, or was the car park a restricted security zone, or has President Kufuor, since becoming a President become so scared of his fellow Ghanaians that, being around his house is a crime?"

Mr. Justice Adjei added that the terminology 'security' scare is very vague in the context under reference.

Justice Adjei, who is NDC MP aspirant for Sunyani East argued that the term "security scare" can always be employed as an alibi for dealing with political opponents.

He insisted that the parking of a car alongside numerous cars near the President's private premises could never be described as security scare.

The party said President Kufuor's house, once within a private residential area does not make it special, just because he is a president, adding that after all, he chose to stay in his private house, rather than the castle.

The NDC advised the President and his security personnel to move to the castle, if they were so obsessed with security.

It would be recalled that Alhaji Dauda was picked up by the security about two weeks ago, on allegations that he had parked his car near President Kufuor's private residence in Accra.