NDC Supporters kidnap Police
Supporters Of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday clashed with the police at Kukuom in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region during the polls to elect a new Presiding Member (PM) for the assembly.
Reports indicated that one of the policemen deployed to quell the violence was abducted into a taxi cab to be taken to Sankore, but he was saved by another police team.
The police had to fire several warning shots to disperse the irate NDC hooligans before they could arrest some of the thugs who forced their way into the assembly hall to vote in the election mainly reserved for elected assembly members.
The NDC youth, wielding stones, sticks and clubs, stormed the streets and clashed with the police, who fired warning shots and tear-gas to disperse them.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the NDC hooligans besieged the Asunafo District Assembly Hall where the election was scheduled to take place and presented a counterfeit list containing some strange names as eligible assembly members expected to cast their votes.
When the district electoral officer detected the fraud, she ordered the arrest of the NDC thugs.
This, according to eyewitnesses, resulted in chaos, after some supporters of the party protested the arrest of their colleagues and clashed with the police.
Residents said the action of the NDC youth disrupted the election, which failed to take place after three consecutive times, to elect a PM.
The District Electoral Officer, Dorcas Crentsil, told DAILY GUIDE the elections could not come on because only 25 assembly members, out of 40, turned up.
She said the assembly members present were not allowed to vote because even if they had voted, they could not meet the threshold of two-thirds majority.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that prior to the election, there was a heavy security presence including macho men in and around the assembly hall to ostensibly harass assembly members perceived to be sympathizers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who had refused to vote for the ruling NDC nominated candidate on several occasions.
According to Isaac Akwasi Bonsu Carter, an aspiring Presiding Member, the situation scared a section of the assembly members who refused to go close to the assembly premises, thereby giving the NDC officials a field day to manipulate the electoral system.
He said just as he and other assembly members had brokered a deal with the three paramount chiefs of the area, namely the Kukuommanhene, Nana Kwaku Aterkyi II and the Sankoremanhene as well as the Abuommanhene, about how to ensure a successful election to bring peace to the district, the NDC youth launched a protest and went ahead to present a fictitious list for the commencement of the election which led to the skirmishes.
Attempts to talk to the police were unsuccessful as several calls did not elicit any response.
Source Daily Guide
Category: Politics
