We know the intimidation going on – Mahama on Volta Region military deployment

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said he is aware of the intimidation of people in the Volta Region by the army personnel deployed to secure Ghana’s borders in the area.

During his tour of voters registration centres in the region on Saturday, July 11, 2020, Mr Mahama told party members in the Akatsi North Constituency that: “I have been briefed on what is happening and I will continue to urge them to exercise restraint”.

“We know the intimidation that is going on and how it has affected their livelihoods because they cannot move freely on their own lands but I still ask them to exercise restraint and encourage them in their numbers to come out and register ahead of the 2020 general elections”, he said.

Among some of the areas visited by the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress are South Tongu, Akatsi South, Ketu North, Ketu South, Akatsi North, Agotime-Ziope and Ho Central Constituencies.

Mr Mahama used the opportunity of his tour to pay a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Asogli state, Agbogbomefia Togbe Afede XIV and the other traditional authorities of the Asogli people.

Mr Mahama expressed his misgivings about the military presence just when the Electoral Commission was about starting its voter registration exercise.

“Just at the start of the exercise, there was a report of the military to certain parts of the country. We know that the military is one of the security services and it has the mandate of defending the territorial integrity of our country against external aggression, so, anytime there is the deployment of the military, then you know that there is an extreme crisis and, so, it took a lot of us by surprise.”

“Unfortunately, the coincidence of the start of the voter registration exercise with the deployment of the military has left an unpleasant case in the minds of drivers of democracy, because this COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for some months now and we started with only two cases reported. If there is the need for us to seal our borders, I think that’s the time those borders should have been sealed – when we had only two cases. Now, today, we have over 20,000 cases and, so, one wonders if the strength of COVID-19 is from inside or from outside.”