Chairman of the Tema East constituency branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nene Ofoe-Teyechu Agbadiagba IV, has dismissed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s hullabaloo over what they say are inciting words of Agric Minister, Bryan Acheampong.

In response to the NDC’s petition of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service over Mr. Acheampong‘s declaration at a mini rally in the Eastern Region that the NPP has the men to match the NDC if the NDC resorts to violence in 2024, the Tema East Chairman said the NDC was only being hypocritical.

“In this very country, we have had this same NDC make declarations that are potentially even more inciting to violence than anything close to what Bryan Acheampong has said, did anybody arrest them?” he asked rhetorically in an interview.

He points out that sometime ago, “no less a person than former President John Mahama, declared that elections were going to be a violent boot for boot affair, who called for his arrest?”

Nene Agbadiagba IV said the move by the NDC is “rooted in nothing but mischief and cheap politicking.”

Bryan Acheampong who is also the member of parliament for Abetifi constituency in the Eastern Region made the statement on Monday, April 10, during a rally organized to climax a health walk by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the country’s Eastern Region.

“I promise the people of Eastern region that as IMF has come to our aid and our policies are working better, the NDC [leading opposition party] will collapse. But if they decide to employ violence and intimidation in the 2024 elections, we will show them that we have the men.

“It will never happen that the NPP will hand over power to the NDC. We will use whatever means possible to retain power,” Mr Acheampong said to a crowd of cheering party supporters.

Following from that, the NDC issued a statement condemning the statement as provocative and indicative of the NPP’s intent to use violence to steal the 2024 elections.

The opposition party would later go on to petition the Police CID over the same statement.

However, according Nene Ofoe-Teyechu Agbadiagba IV, the NDC’s action amounts to mischievous attention seeking.

“Since when did we say that we have the men come to mean that we want to use violence? Compared to John Mahama’s “we will match you boot for boot,” which is more provocative?” he asked adding that, “your John Mahama’s boot for boot is far more dangerous than Bryan Acheampong’s “we have the men””

Nene Ofoe-Teyechu urged the police CID to, “ignore the NDC and its mischief and concentrate on more useful matters of state.”