The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded that the Member of Parliament for Bekwai and now 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu (Joe Wise) apologises for likening victims of the shooting incidents in Techiman South to armed robbers.

Joe Wise had said that victims of the Techiman South electoral violence could be likened to armed robbers who were shot dead while in operation.

Two persons were shot dead and eight 8 injured when security operatives opened fire on persons believed to be NDC supporters at a collation center in the Techiman South constituency in the Bono East Region.

Families of the deceased and members of the NDC have since been demanding justice.
Asked if the families of the deceased do not deserve commiserations from the president, Mr. Owusu did not seem to think so, asking “do we commiserate with the families of armed robbers we shoot?”.

But the Bono East NDC said in a statement that “Hon Joseph Osei Owusu must be ashamed of himself and his government for not taking responsibilities for these undemocratic, shameful and bloody acts and also joining well-meaning Ghanaians to condemn it and ensure that justice is served on the lives we have lost and also ensure that the perpetrators of these unprofessional acts exhibited by some members of Police and Military officers are dealt with.

“We certainly know that a well trained and deployed Security officers would not engage in such a useless act, but when you have a compromised state security which has been infiltrated by NPP vigilantes and Party boys in the name of jobs for the boys…..these outcomes are obvious.”

Below is the full statement…

Immediate Release

7TH JANUARY, 2020

NDC BONO EAST REGIONAL SECRETARIAT

HON. JOSEPH OSEI OWUSU- NPP MP – BEKWAI AND FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT MUST APOLOGIZE TO THE BEREAVED FAMILIES AND THOSE INJURED BY THE UNJUSTIFIABLE SHOOTING IN THE TECHIMAN SOUTH AND OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

The leadership, members, sympathizers of the NDC – Bono East Region and other parts of the country as well as well meaning Ghanaians were shock by the NPP – MP Bekwai – Hon Joseph Osei Owusu and 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament for his Un-Parliamentary and dishonorable comments
to call and accuse innocent Ghanaians who were shot and killed by his government as well as several others injured for no offence committed and turn around to accuse them as ” criminals and armed robbers ” as their families and dependents are still trying to recover from the shock, trauma and pain of their sudden demise due to no faults of theirs.

It is highly un Parliamentary and callous to hear such filthy and unguarded statements from a Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

Hon Joseph Osei Owusu must be ashamed of himself and his government for not taking responsibilities for these undemocratic, shameful and bloody acts and also joining well meaning Ghanaians to condemn it and ensure that justice is served on the lives we have lost and also ensure that the perpetrators of these unprofessional acts exhibited by some members of Police and Military officers are dealt with.
We certainly know that a well trained and deployed Security officers would not engage in such a useless act, but when you have a compromised state security which has been infiltrated by NPP vigilantes and Party boys in the name of jobs for the boys…..these outcomes are obvious.

The unfortunate comments by the 1st Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Hon Joseph Osei Wusu has rather given credence to the rumours that this act was well planned and purpetrated by the Nana Akufo Addo’s government as part of their intimidation posture to shoot and kill innocent civilian Just for the sake of hanging onto power as part of their ” All die be die” mantra of staying onto power at all cost.

As we speak, after the blatant lies and fabrication put out by the Director General of Police CID Mr. Isaac Ken Yeboah on the Techiman South shooting incident to which we have already set the record straight on it, its mindboggling and nauseating that till date nothing has been heard from the government with regards to the incident. President Akuffo Addo who sworn an oath as Commander In Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and Chairman of the National Security Council to protect lives and property has failed to visit the victims and their families, commensurate with the deceased families but has rather added insult to injury by asking Hon Joseph Osei Owusu to refer to them as armed robbers and criminals who were shot for breaking Electoral laws which is known to be false and tainted mischief.

For the records, it is those people who sidelined Collation processes for the declaration of Elections results as contained in CI 127 section 43 & 44 and their negligence to duty as well as their deliberate actions and inactions which have contributed to these mess are the real criminals and armed robbers who have colluded with the EC and State Security apparatus to intimidate, steal and call the Elections for Martin Agyei Mensah Korsah – NPP – PC Techiman South as well as bulldoze their way to prevent proper Collation and declaration of results. One of the key criminals here is the Returning officer Mr. Dwemena Frempah of the the Techiman South Electoral commission and Hon. Martin Agyei Mensah Korsah who masterminded the killing of this innocent persons and dubiously imposed himself on the good people of Techiman South and using bruth force to declare himself as winner of the Techiman South Parliamentary election.

Hon Joseph Osei Owusu who has become power drunk and has allowed his conscience to be seared will not have made these unfortunate comments if these atrocities were to be meted out on his family members or constituents?

We are by this release calling on Hon. Jossph Osei Owusu the 1st Deputy speaker of Parliament to as a matter of urgency and within 24 hours retract and apologize for his unguarded statements as he has gained notoriety for doing so. A case in point is his speech on the floor of parliament that, the Governments Anti- Galamsey Security task force should shoot and kill any Ghanaian found in a Galamsey site, when he clearly should have known better.

For there is a saying that “Vengeance does not come by an act, but comes by it self.” and ” When injustice becomes the norm, resistance becomes a duty” as well as ” Peace cannot be guaranteed on the altar of Justice as Justice and fairness is the synquanon to sustainable peace”.

May the souls of the departed ones rest in perfect peace and we wish the injured Devine speedy recovery.

#seeking justice for the people of Techiman South and our fallen Heroes#

Thank you.

Mohammed Shamsudeen Ali
(Regional Secretary)

By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana