V/R Military deployment: NDC's 'scaremongering' campaign needless - Kweku Baako

Seasoned journalist, Kweku Baako has slammed the leadership and members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over their comments on the mlitary deployment to the Volta Region.

NDC On Security Deployment

Some residents in the Volta Region raised eyebrows over heavy security presence in the Region.

Addressing the concerns of the people, the NDC Minority in Parliament issued a day ultimatum to the government to withdraw the military personnel.

Chairman of the Volta Regional Caucus, Emmanuel Bedzrah and Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa called for the troops to be recalled to their barracks.

Minority Spokesperson on Defence and Interior, James Agalga, also accused the government of deploying the Military to intimidate Voltarians and prevent them from participating in the new voters' registration exercise.

''There is a certain scheme which is designed by the government to intimidate our teeming supporters from coming out in their numbers to register and have their names on the new voter register'', he said.

Ex-Prez Mahama's Statements

Former President John Dramani Mahama also scolded President Nana Akufo-Addo for sanctioning the deployment of security personnel in the Volta Region.

According to him, he has ''sufficient reason to believe that there is merit in the concerns raised by the residents of these Regions. This represents another unprecedented low in the shameless abuse of state power to attack the very citizens whose safety and security the Akufo-Addo government should be protecting. It is becoming evident by the day, that the Akufo-Addo government perceives political power as an end in itself hence the resort to such crude and high-handed measures to usurp the mandate of the people.



"To send troops into regions in times of peace for the sole purpose of preventing them from registration amounts to declaring war on them. Any President sanctioning this sort of activity stands in breach of his oath to the people of Ghana. Any President doing this, commits a grave sin against the very people he swore to protect. No one would have imagined that a Ghanaian government would be so obsessed with hanging on to power as to subject its own citizens to such mistreatment and execute an ethno-tribal agenda of this magnitude against them," a statement released by his office read.

Scaremongering Campaign

Addressing the issue on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM, Kweku Baako said the NDC is embarking on a ''scaremongering campaign''.

He questioned the logic in NDC's claims and advised them to stop creating tension.

To him, the NDC's argument that the security personnel have been charged to prevent people from partaking in the registration exercise has been defeated by the huge turnout to the ongoing registration exercise across the nation.

"The total effect of that scaremongering campaign was that the Military personnel had been deployed to put fear in potential applicants who would want to register in order to exercise their democratic right. The figures coming out is indicating that people are out there exercising their right. The Military personnel are not at the registration center creating any chaos and fear," he said.