Ayawaso: Protect lives or we’ll take action – John Dumelo to Lydia Alhassan

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo has reminded the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency Lydia Alhassan of her duty to “promote peace and serenity” within the constituency.

Mr. Dumelo’s campaign team is also calling on the MP to take actions to ensure an end to the recent occurrences of violence meted out to NDC supporters within the constituency during the on-going voter registration exercise or it will take the necessary action to protect its members.

The reminder follows what Dumelo's campaign team considers to be “persistent reports of physical abuse meted out to registration agents, sympathisers of the NDC observers and innocent persons perceived to be supporters of the John Dumelo for MP 2020 Campaign.”

A statement issued and signed by spokesperson for the NDC parliamentary aspirant, Benjamin Madugu Avornyotse on Tuesday, 14 July 2020 noted that the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency has “once again become a scene of violence and assaults.”

According to Dumelo: “Within the course of the on-going registration, agents of the NDC have been brutalised often in the presence of the police. Official complaints have been lodged with the Police with no response to bring perpetrators to book thus far.”

The statement also recalled the incident that took place during the bye-elections in the constituency which led to the assault of some persons and emphasised that: “it is a national shame that the only crime of constituents that day, was their desire to exercise their voting franchise leading to the maiming and violence the whole nation witnessed.”

It continued that: “Every Ghanaian is aware of the recommendations and the refusal of government to act and allow the full rigours of the law to deal with individuals found to have inflicted violence on innocent citizens.”

“The John Dumelo for MP 2020 Campaign team wishes to serve notice to the sitting MP – Madam Lydia Alhassan, that it is her duty to promote peace and serenity in the constituency. Her campaign that is bound to fail must not be seen to tacitly approve and profit from the violence being perpetrated on the innocent constituents of Ayawaso West Wuogon in the on-going registration exercise,” the statement said.

Dumelo added that should the lawmaker “continue to remain indifferent to the concerns raised that she has been made aware of severally, alternative reliefs within the confines of our laws will be sought by this Campaign team to ensure protection of all constituents from acts of thuggery and hooliganism.”