Soldiers deployed to Damongo following clashes between NDC, NPP supporters

Military personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces have on Thursday 2nd July, 2020 been airlifted to Damongo the capital of the Savannah Region following a series of scuffles that ensued between supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the Kurabaso Junior High School (JHS) registration centre on the first and third day of the Electoral Commission (EC) ongoing registration exercise in Damongo.

The first incident which led to the beating of the Damongo Constituency Nasara Coordinator of the NPP created tension in the Damongo township leading to patrols of party sympathisers of the two parties from one polling station to the other creating fear and panic as many of the residents predicted another round of beating.

The arrival of the military men in town did not, however, deter the party sympathisers from fighting. A nephew of the member of Parliament (MP) for the Damongo Constituency Hon Adam Mutawakilu was hit in the head with a chair by some supporters of the NPP on Thursday 2nd June, 20202 leading to his collapse on the spot was rushed to the West Gonja Hospital in Damongo where he is currently receiving treatment.

Eyewitnesses at the registration said a car loaded with passengers were brought to the centre for registration which the NDC polling agents prevented them from going through the process. This according to the eyewitnesses led to the scuffle that that resulted in the beating of the nephew of the MP for Damongo by NPP members.

It took the intervention of the police officer at the polling centre who fired several warning shots to disperse the two group from the centre.

The MP for the Damongo Constituency over the weekend accused Lawyer Jinapor of holding several meetings to bus people from the Kintampo North Constituency of the Bono East Region to register in the Damongo Constituency but Lawyer Jinapor in a quick rebuttal said it was the right of every citizen of the constituency residing in any part of the country to come home and be registered to vote in the December polls and also went further to accuse the MP for the Damongo Constituency of also making arrangements of busing residents of the constituency residing in Tesano and other areas in Accra to convey them to the Constituency to be registered.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the NPP in the Damongo Constituency have issued a press statement accusing the NDC of denying qualified persons from registering and creating problems at the various registration centres.

A statement issued on 2nd July, 2020 and signed by the Damongo Constituency Chairman of the NPP, Alhaji Adam Braimah said the NDC has resorted to violence in their attempt to stop people they perceive to be ineligible from registering contrary to the laid down legal procedure which requires a person to resort to a challenge through the Challenge Form if there is suspicion of ineligibility.

“Happily, the security forces in Damongo have professionally and effectively intervened to ensure that the rules laid down by the Electoral Commission prevail. The NPP is happy with the process so far and will continue to insist that the rules are adhered to strictly by all stakeholders.

“Undoubtedly, the days of Hon. Garlus are numbered. He has sensed defeat. The good people of Damongo are feverishly registering to vote him out and, indeed, no amount of complaints and desperation will save him. He has failed in every aspect as an MP and the overwhelming majority of voters are saying enough is enough,” the statement said.

The NPP said; “The NPP in the Damongo Constituency will proceed to facilitate the registration of All and we mean All eligible voters”.

The NPP said they have taken notice of allegations leveled against the Deputy Chief of Staff and Parliamentary Candidate of the NPP for the Damongo Constituency, Abu Jinapor, by the MP for Damongo Constituency, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu, aka Garlus, to the effect that the former is busing ineligible voters to register.

“For the records, the said allegation is palpably false and baseless. To date, only eligible voters have been registering in the Damongo Constituency. Some are resident and others are ordinarily resident, as dictated by the Constitutional Instrument regulating the ongoing registration exercise,” the statement said.