General News of Friday, 21 December 2012

Source: Abdul Karim Naatogmah

AFAG jabs police

Pro New Patriotic Party (NPP) pressure group, the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has taken a swipe at the Ghana police service over the cancellation of a supposed display of armory by the security agencies in Accra, Friday.

AFAG earlier indicated that its much publicized “Let my vote count” demonstration scheduled for Friday December 21 in Accra and meant to challenge the outcome of 2012 elections was called off because the police asked them to do so under the pretence of parading through Accra with their armory.

A leading member of AFAG, Abu Ramadan in an interview said the group had been vindicated in its assertion that government had exerted influence on the police administration’s failed decision.

“From inside information as we have it, the President was the one who directed the police service to undertake such an exercise in order to prove to the people a show of strength that anybody who has the intension of going to court to overturn the decision of the Electoral Commission, he has the power and the police behind him to deal with such persons,” he alleged.

He thus advised the Inspector General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye to stay neutral in dealing with civil society groups who have resolved to protest over what he termed as electoral injustices recorded after the 2012 general elections.

He said., “This is a mere action more or less to indicate that the police administration is involving in the political activities of this country because it is amazing that our decision to embark on a demonstration was prevented because the police said they were embarking on an exercise to display their armory.”

Abu Ramadan implied that AFAG had lost confidence in the police and would have to re-strategize in dealing with the police administration.

“It comes as a shock to us that the police have also cancelled their activity, this is very unprofessional and AFAG really will have to sit back and re-strategize in terms of dealing with the police on issues, this is really unfair because they have denied us our right to demonstrate.”