NDC press briefing on Hawa Koomson shows they're lawless, peace wreckers - Buaben Asamoa

Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director, Yaw Buaben Asamoa has sent a quick reply to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) over their comments regarding the Awutu Senya East Member of Parliament (MP), Hawa Koomson's behaviour at a registration center in her constituency.

Awutu Senya East Shooting

The MP, on Monday, July 20, 2020 went to the Step to Christ registration center but chaos erupted at the center resulting in a shooting incident.

Hon. Hawa Koomson explained that she went to the center because she had been informed that some unknown persons had been bused by her political opponent to participate in the voter registration exercise in her constituency.

Upon reaching there, she picked threat signals from some people at the center and so fired gunshots to save her life.

"I’m a Member of Parliament, I need to protect myself. It was at dawn, my police escort had not started work yet. So that is a mechanism I have adopted in his absence...I realised the lives of my people were in danger. So I wanted to scare the people. I fired the warning shots. I didn’t direct it at anybody," she defended her actions.

Reacting to the incident, the NDC has held a press briefing charging their members to retaliate any attacks on them if the government doesn't address the issue with importance and take immediate punitive action against Hawa Koomson.

The NDC National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi described her actions as criminal.

“Section 198 of the criminal offences of Ghana 1960 act 29 section 189, 199, 200 downwards speaks about crimes against the peace of Ghana, rioting is a crime. What the woman has done is criminal, reprehensible, shameful, broth on our democracy and it cannot be defended,” Sammy Gyamfi said in an interview with TV3.

According to him, it was needless of the Awutu Senya East MP to carry a gun to the polling station because “there was noeminent danger, no threat to her life, no act of violence at the polling station before she got there to elicit the claim of self-defense''.

“These were not even warning shot, these were targeted shots. She targeted shots at her own constituents. If you look at the manner in which the shots were fired, they were aimed at people.

“When she missed her target, she together with her gun-wielding thugs invaded the polling centre, burnt the motorcycles of innocent registrants and some party agents of the NDC...For a minister of state, a lawmaker to take the law into her own hands in that gangstar-rambo style, destroying property and distracting the exercise for the whole day that is criminal.”

The Director of Elections of the NDC, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah also, at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, stated emphatically that the NDC will make sure Hawa Koomson faces prosecution, when they come into power, should she be absolved from the shooting incident.

"The NDC is totally disgusted by the thuggish and criminal shooting incident involving a gang of NPP thugs who were led by Hawa Koomson which has received both national and international condemnation and which have been admitted by the Minister of State herself," Mr Ankrah said.

To Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the statements by the NDC leaders and members have exposed the lawlessness of the party.

He alluded to similar violent acts that were ignited by members and leaders of the party which the party leadership saw nothing wrong, neither did they sanction the perpetrators.

According to him, the press briefing by the NDC has confirmed the party has no regard for national peace and wondered how they intend to return to power with such unlawful character.

"The NDC holds a press briefing and says what, that they will deal drastically with soldiers and Police? Is this the atitude they want to rule this country with? The press briefing they did yesterday has exposed that the NDC members don't respect laws and don't want peace. This is not what Ghanaians expect", he said on Peace FM's morning programme 'Kokrokoo'.