Nana Akomea, the Communications Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the call for training personnel by a private security company for his party’s Flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo's and Running Mate, Dr. Bawumia’s protection is to manage crowds during campaign.
According to him, though the NPP falls on state security at some public gatherings to provide security, the idea of the NPP to call the three South African security experts is to equip the party’s security personnel with new skills to manage the crowds at places where state security cannot follow the party to.
Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Nana Akomea revealed that the same training took place in 2012 during the elections but maybe with a different security company, defusing the claim that NPP is training mercenaries to disrupt the 2016 elections.
Giving one of the reasons for the security beef-up, Nana Akomea averred the security of Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia cannot be left alone in the hands of the state security since it failed to investigate an NDC radio presenter who has predicted the NPP’s Flagbearer will die in June this year.
“Host of NDC radio station has stated emphatically that Nana Akufo-Addo will die in June this year but with this, the National Security didn’t see this as a security threat. If someone can boldly say this on NDC radio station, why won’t he (Nana Addo) protect himself?” he quizzed.
He again highlighted that the rest of the political leaders cannot enjoy the same measure of state security given to President John Mahama; hence it beholds on other political parties to employ private security which will be available throughout every day.
“When it comes to campaign in some places like the market and across the country, if you don’t get constant security around you all the times, you cannot do it. Ghana police cannot give us 20 personnel throughout our campaign to control the crowd. It doesn’t change anything that NPP has measures in place about security matters; even private companies have security, how much more a presidential candidate who has more than thousands of crowd following him?” he asked.