It wasn’t my intention to win an election through violence – Lydia Seyram Alhassan

Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the Minister-designate for Sanitation and Water Resources, has expressed regret over the January 31, 2019, electoral violence at La-Bawaleshie in her constituency.

The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso-West Wuogon, while responding to a question from Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader, emphasized that her primary focus as a candidate was to win the election and support the voiceless and underprivileged in her constituency, not to achieve victory through violence.

"The incident that happened is unfortunate. Mr Chairman, as a candidate whose focus was to win an election and support the voiceless, the underprivileged and support my constituency, my intention of doing that was not to win through violence," she said during her appearance before the Appointment Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

She continued, "As you are aware, I was nowhere near where the incident occurred; we all remember how I was received the first day I stepped foot into Parliament, a woman who was in pain, a woman who was grieving…."

Emotionally moved, Alhassan went silent for a few minutes before adding, "I'm glad there is an opportunity to bring closure to this matter. And I would like to clear it off my chest.

"As you're all aware, I was nowhere near where the incident occurred, and as a woman, I was touched by it. And I pray that what happened on that day should never ever happen to any person trying to represent his or her people. Issues of violence should never happen in our elections and democratic dispensation," she added.

The electoral violence occurred during a parliamentary by-election held after the demise of Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko, the husband of Alhassan and the then MP of Ayawaso-West Wuogon.

The National Democratic Congress withdrew from the by-election following a shooting incident at the polls.

Allegations of masked men beating up civilians who did not resist arrest surfaced, prompting the government to constitute the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry.

The commission was tasked with conducting a full and impartial inquiry into the circumstances leading to the violence.

AM/SARA

Click here to follow the GhanaWeb General News WhatsApp channel

You can also watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below: