NPP won’t rule Ghana forever – Haruna Iddrisu to police

The Minority Leader of Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, who led the Caucus to present a petition to the Electoral Commission in connection with the Techiman South poll amidst a standoff with the police, has sent a note of caution to the Ghana Police Service thus: “Let me send as strong warning to the police that the New Patriotic Party government will not rule Ghana forever”.

“We will continue to work with police that are professional, not police that think that they can be compelled by the power of the state to undermine our rights and freedoms”, he said.

He added: “Parliament remains a guardian of our fundamental human rights and freedom and our right to walk,” the Minority Leader noted.

Mr Iddrisu also described as “shameful”, the inability of the Electoral Commission (EC) to produce official copies of the outcome of the parliamentary elections conducted in the Techiman South Constituency two weeks after the polls.

The Tamale South MP told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at which the Minority Caucus re-collated the ballots of the Techiman South parliamentary race that the pink sheets available to them indicate a win for their candidate, Mr Christopher Beyere Basongit by a 293 vote margin.

Mr Iddrisu also indicated the reason for collating the pink sheets in the glare of the media and the public.

Mr Iddrisu stated: “You will soon discover why the New Patriotic Party, with the Electoral Commission, is refusing to collate and declare the parliamentary results of Techiman South.”

He further emphasised that the NDC parliamentary candidate for the Techiman South Constituency had to be represented at the collation of the ballots.

“Know that he has a lawful duty and he has a lawful obligation to be represented at the counting and collation justified legally under the laws of Ghana. I repeat: we’re not the Electoral Commission, we’re not purporting to be officers of the Electoral Commission, we’re stakeholders and interested parties in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.”

The Minority Leader further noted that the party cannot pursue the matter in court without evidence of certified copies of results from the Techiman South Constituency.

“So, we want to demonstrate to you why Techiman cannot be taken away from the NDC majority caucus, no matter what. If the laws of Ghana are respected if the electoral laws of Ghana are respected, those of you saying that ‘go to court, go to court, go to court’, you want me to go to court with a mask? I must go to court with certified collated results if even I’m dissatisfied. Then I can tell the court that I’m dissatisfied with this.

“Let anybody from any media including the international media share with me their evidence of a copy of certified collated results for Techiman South parliamentary seat.

“This is shameful for the Electoral Commission of Ghana; that you conduct an election, two weeks into it, neither the candidate nor his representative nor even the NDC, as an interested party, can boast of an official copy of the outcome of that elections,” Mr Iddrisu added.