Some security personnel during the elections
It was like war, people were chased and beaten like hardened criminals. State resources were given to party boys in the name of national security, Police Commanders turned deaf and blind to the brazen attack on innocent Ghanaians, leaving tens of innocent citizens paralysed for three years now, all because a party in power needed to win a by-Election by hook or crook.
Like an “action movie”, so did it happen as over-zealous party apparatchiks parading as national security opened fire and shot at innocent civilians to further the cause of a government who wanted to maintain its slot in parliament even at the cost of lives.
Background
The by-Election was held on the 31st of January, 2019 with the intention to elect the people's representative for the constituency of the Ayawaso West Wuagon, following the demise of their MP, Hon Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.
At exactly 7am, polls started and voting was proceeding smoothly. Many local and international communities, as well as observers, had all their eyes on Ghana, precisely Ayawaso West Wuagon.
The Constituency has 137 polling stations with some being the stronghold of the NPP and the others for the NDC.
The University of Ghana and the University of Professional Studies campus have always been the game-changer for the NPP while the Bawaleshie voting centre and others also remain the strongholds of the NDC within the Constituency respectively.
Unfortunately on that faithful day, schools were on vacation and many had left to their various homes.
As voting continued right until around 11 am, the government upon assessing events realized that the indicators were not favourable to them. The government then needed a plan B to reduce the human inflow at the strongholds of the NDC, Bawaleshie and other centres.
The next move: the government with its thugs entered the house of the NDC parliamentary candidate in the name of intel they picked that suggested some ammunition were being smuggled into the house of the NDC candidate to be used to perpetuate violence in the elections. However, to date, no such arms has been retrieved from the house.
Without any lawful entry, they were met with resistance from unarmed civilians who are members of the NDC in the residence of the Parliamentary candidate Hon Delali Kwasi Brempong. This action resulted in shooting palpable bullets into the crowd where these unarmed civilians had gathered. This action by these thugs of the NPP, later moved from the residence of the NDC Candidate to some voting centres: Bawaleshie and other perceived NDC strongholds within the Constituency. The Member of Parliament for the people of Ningo Pampram had his fair share of the state-sponsored Brutalities. This state-sponsored action of the Nana-Bawumia government led to a lot of casualties: Innocent citizens were disabled and other casualties were caused, due to the shooting. Some of these affected guys used to be breadwinners for their families but due to the desperation of the government to hold on to power, many have been paralysed forever and now have to depend on others to survive.
WHAT A TRAGEDY!
It took the leadership of the National Democratic Congress, NDC led by its National Chairman, Chairman Ofosu Ampofo to announce the withdrawal of the party from the election in order to forestall further attacks on their members, save lives and to bring the tension to a halt.
Ghana became the topic of discussion in the world with videos of the happenings all over our local and international stations. i.e. TV3, UTV ,Adom ,TV XYZ, POWER FM, BBB Aljazera VOA etc. Social media was not exempted. The high earn prestigious fame that Ghana has held on to since the 4th Republican Constitution as the beacon of democracy and peace, was thrown to the dogs, and that was the level to which desperation on the part of government could damage the reputation of Nkrumah's Ghana.
After Events
Days after, the president invoked Chapter 22 Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana which states'; the president shall by Constitutional Instrument appoint a commission of Inquiry into any matters of Public Interest. This Commission was set up on the 6th February, 2019 with its members as follows;
1. Justice Emile Short – Chairman
2. Prof. Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu – Member
3. Mr. Patrick Kwateng Acheampong – Member
4. Mr. E. Kofi Abotsi – Secretary.
The commission used 12 days to interview 20 witnesses, from 14th February, 2019 to 8th March, 2019 for the public hearing. It got live coverage due to the veracity of the issue.
Conclusion
As we make 3 years of this unfortunate event tomorrow 31st January, 2022 and almost 3 years after the presentation of the commission's Report. Sad enough,the report has become a white elephant on the desk of the leader of the elephant government. Not a single recommendation in the Emile short commission report has been implemented to the latter. Recommendations such as paying compensation to the victims (5 persons and 3 households), Mr Ernest Akomea a.k.a Double to be prosecuted, Colonel Mike Opoku and Bryan Acheampong, Minister of national security be reprimanded, the government should remove DSP Samuel Kojo Azugu from command responsibility, and many others, have all been treated with contempt by the government.
In all these, fellow Ghanaians, let us not lose sight of the fact that, taxpayers monies were committed to the work of the commission and can't be allowed to go to waste.
A government that can waste millions of Ghana cedis on a commission and at the end allow the report to gather dust on his table, is now finding all means to introduce a wicked and insensitive Bawumia E-Levy to further burden Ghanaians.
#SayNoToE-Levy
I take this moment of retrospection to call on all well-meaning Ghanaians, CSO, Religious bodies, the clergy, our revered Islamic leaders, the National Chief Imam and bilateral and multilateral communities to speak, act and join remind the government of the day to implement the report from his own commission set to look into the Ayawaso West Wuagon By-election Brutalities. The citizens need to be protected and failure to do so by the government, the state must come to the aid of that citizen or group of persons. Bogoso-Apiate and other harm on citizens on my mind.
May the good Lord continue to protect all the affected souls and I want to assure them that, the day of answerability will soon come.
#Justice4ThePeopleofAWW
Godwin Mahama is a trained PR professional and a member of the communications directorate of the National Democratic Congress
