*
*NANA AKUFO ADDO COMMENTS on NDC ‘s VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION ARE
JUSTIFIED*
* *
The NPP UK and Ireland supports the call by our presidential candidate Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to party members in the Eastern Region and elsewhere
in Ghana and the diaspora not to be intimidated or feel threatened by
despicable acts of violence and abuse by members of the National Democratic
Congress , their paramilitary groups and their agents . Nana Akufo Addo is
also right to ask party members to remain steadfast, disciplined and
focused, as well as prepare to sacrifice, and work hard for the party to
come to power in 2012.
Nana Akufo Addo comments raises serious concerns about the attitude and the
machinations of the National Democratic Congress and its leadership under
President John Evans Atta Mills and the current attempts to undermine the
peace and security of Ghana without honoring its numerous promises to the
Ghanaian people, as well as the seeming lack of political will from civic
society to address this menace. Here are examples of how the NDC has being
carrying out violent gestapo acts against political opponents especially the
NPP.
a. NPP sympathaisers and traders at the Kokomba Yam Market in Accra were
beaten viciously and two members lost their lives. Till date the Police in
Greater Accra led by Madam Rose Atinga, Regional Commander for Greater Accra
and a staunch member of the NDC since 1994 have done nothing to prosecute
the offenders.
b. NPP members were threatened with death and beatings when Baba Jamal,
current Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, became the first Ghanaian
politician since Ex President Rawlings in December 1981 to declare a holy
war and the first politician since the restoration of constitutional rule in
1992 to call for Islamic Jihad against a political party and its members at
a Bye Election at Akwatia. Azorka boys and their allies descended on Akwatia
led by Sofo Azorka, the 1st vice chairman of the Northern Region branch of
the NDC, wearing raffia skirts and cowbells round their waists. The Akwatia
NPP constituency Chairman was arrested by police on the orders of Mr Baba
Jamal, beaten up and locked up in cells for 48 hours before being released
.Some observers likened the Akwatia Bye election to Beirut in Lebanon in the
80s. No action has been taken against the police, Mr Baaba Jamal and Mr Sofo
Azorka till date.
c. At a bye Election in chereponi in the Northern Region, NPP members
were prevented by police and NDC polling agents to observe the counting of
the ballot. Ghana Air force planes were used by the government to move
ballot boxes from an area called overseas to Tamale for counting without the
knowledge of the Electoral commission.
d. In the most violent bye election in history of Ghana which occurred at
Atiwa in the Eastern Region, NDC members led by its National Organiser Yaw
Boateng Gyan and its Women’s Organiser Miss Anita De Sosoo and Major Dawuni
of the Ghana Armed Forces, who bused macho men from NDC headquarters at
Kokomemle in Accra, supervised NDC foot soldiers to prevent people from
voting and beat up NPP party members. In one of the most cruel acts by a
woman. Miss Anita De Sosoo and her driver drove a car into a crowd of NPP
members and youth including children. 7 members sustained severe injuries
and they had to be hospitalized. The NPP UK and Ireland is currently
petitioning the United Kingdom Government, The European Union and the United
States Government to freeze the assets and impose travel restrictions on Mr
Yaw Boateng Gyan and Miss Anita De Sosoo.
e. The National Democratic Congress currently have 1500 party members
recruited from constituencies in the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern
and Greater Accra Regions undertaking paramilitary training at the Achiase
Jungle Warfare Training school and the Asutuare Military Training camp in
preparation to be used as polling agents and disruptive elements in certain
constituencies in 2012.
f. The NPP UK and Ireland has also previously complained about the
presence of Mr Larry Gbevlo Lartey, the National Security Co-ordinator being
selected as the Head of Security and strategy for the NDC Campaign team for
2012. We have received alleged reports of Mr Gbevlo Lartey together with his
deputy Mr Kosivi Degbor working closely with the IGP Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye
to recruit at least 9,500 of the 16,000 Police Officers to be recruited from
the NDC membership in Greater Accra, Ashanti ,Central and Volta Regions.
g. The Use of certain journalists from a particular tribe on the south
coast to fan ethnic sentiments and run a tribal campaign to generate support
for President John Evans Atta Mills similar to the use of Krahn
intelligentsia in Liberia to support Samuel Doe in the late 1980s and early
90s before his death the price of which our Liberian brothers and sisters
are paying today.
h. The National Chairman of the NDC has called for the extermination of
all members of the Judiciary and that there were many ways to kill a cat.
Judges in Ghana today under so much pressure and fearing for their lives,
since a similar threat by a former military ruler and one of Africa most
brutal dictators Flt Lt (rtd) Jerry John Rawlings whose bloodthirsty regime
was compared to other African leaders like Mobutu, Doe, Idi Amin
,Menghistu, Abacha and Siad Barre in brutality, led to three of their
colleagues being exterminated like Jews in the Holocaust in 1982 under the
PNDC regime, the mother of NDC.
The struggle for constitutional rule and democratic freedom cannot be
sacrificed on the altar of political expediency and backdoor dictatorship.
The NPP is committed to supporting the government build a democratic,
peaceful, transparent, fair and just political environment but it also
believes that its commitment to these principles should not be compromised,
abused or seen as a weakness.
Nana Yaw Sarpong-00447983302369
Communications Officer-NPP UK and Ireland
