Asawase: Calm returns as police, army take over registration centre

A joint police and military team is guarding the Asawase constituency registration centre in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise in the Ashanti Region after a bloody clash between supporters of the two main parties on Friday.

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were driven out the registration centre following the clash. Only their accredited officials have been allowed to remain at the centre.

The exercise, which was supposed to start at 7 a.m. today, Saturday, 29 June started at 10:30 a.m. due to the security measures that were being put in place.

Calm has now returned to the registration centre due to the presence of the security team.

Three people were wounded on Friday, 29 June 2019 after supporters of the NPP and NDC clashed at the centre at Asokore Mampong.

Properties including vehicles were vandalised with screens smashed during the melee.

The injured persons were rushed to the Manhyia government hospital for treatment.

Zeinab Jibril, one of the injured persons alleged that the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase constituency, Muntaka Mubarak physically assaulted her.

She claimed the MP assaulted her after she pulled down a veil that had been used to cover the face of a lady who had been brought to the registration centre by the MP.

The victim also alleged that the MP claimed to have evidence to prove that the NPP was registering some people at night at the office of the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly.

Narrating the incident to Class News’ regional correspondent Elisha Adarkwah, Ms Jibril said the MP slapped her twice in the process while others joined and physically assaulted her.

The situation degenerated into a free-for-all brawl as supporters of the two parties hurled stones and other missiles at each other amidst fisticuffs.

Personnel from the Ghana Police Service were deployed to the scene to maintain peace and order.

On Thursday, 27 June 2019, a similar chaotic incident occurred at the same centre over the registration of students.

Both the NPP and NDC were made to sign an undertaken after they agreed to bus 50 students from one of the six senior high schools in the constituency to register each day and dedicated one of the registration machines for the students.