NPP Demands Name Tags For Polling Officers

THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked the Inspector General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye to provide police officers selected for poll duty on December 7 with name tags to avoid clashes at polling stations.

The suggestion comes on the heels of plans by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to draft some of its members into a Special Force of the Ghana Armed Forces ahead of the elections.

The party’s National Organizer, Yaw Boateng Gyan was earlier this month caught on a secret audio tape saying that those to be drafted into the army would later be given National Security ID cards, making reference to the abuse of such provision in the past by those the NDC recruited for a similar exercise.

Expressing the party’s outrage and disgust over the diabolical plan, NPP Chairman for Kwabre West, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah said he was not surprised about the national security’s indifferent attitude towards the NDC’s plot.

He said the NDC’s plans as captured on tape had the propensity to diminish public confidence in the security apparatus to protect lives during the elections.

He has accordingly suggested that service commanders give their authorized officers name tags to easily distinguish them from the “NDC’s national security officers” that would be sanctioned for poll duty on election day.

Speaking at the inauguration of the NPP’s campaign team for the Afrancho Electoral Area recently, Mr. Appiah stated that genuine security officers must also wear observation tags from the Electoral Commission (EC).

“Any security officer without a name tag or observation tag from the EC cannot be trusted. We will not allow them to do their machinations as assigned to them by the NDC,” he warned.

According to him, while the calls from several quarters for peace were needed, it was equally important for justice and fairness to be applied to guarantee absolute peace.

Odeneho charged EC Chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan to get prepared to hold the December 7 polls once saying, “We will not countenance the bits-and pieces of elections as happened during the district level election.”

He further called on NPP polling agents to be vigilant on voting day, charging them not to feel complacent about winning the elections.

Chairman Odeneho also tasked them to go on house-to-house campaigns to preach about the party’s free senior high school policy and transformation of the country.

The party’s Parliamentary Candidate in the area, William Aidoo appealed for support for his election bid.

He also called on Ghanaians to vote for the party’s presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.