General News of Sunday, 19 July 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

NDC cries foul over alleged deployment of military to registration centres in Ashanti Region

File photo: Military personnel are allegedly preventing NDC agents access to the centres File photo: Military personnel are allegedly preventing NDC agents access to the centres

The Ashanti Region Secretariat of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has alleged that its accredited agents are being prevented by the military from accessing some registration centres in the Ahafo Ano North Constituency.

A press release issued by the NDC Regional Secretary, Kwame Zu, stated that the party was informed by the military detail that they have been ordered to prevent any NDC official and agents from accessing the registration centres.

“… heavy Military officers were deployed by the state to the Tepa SHS and they prevented 14 of our agents from performing their lawful duties. Sadly, not even our Regional party monitoring agent, Mr. Brogya Genfi, who has been duly accredited by the EC was granted access to the registration centres,” Kwame Zu alleged in the release.

Read the full release below.

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS - ASHANTI REGIONAL SECRETARIAT

MILITARY TAKES CONTROL AT TEPA SHS REGISTRATION CENTRES AND PREVENTS MANDATED AGENTS OF THE NDC FROM PERFORMING THEIR LAWFUL DUTY

We regret to make public that our registration agents accredited by the Electoral Commission to Tepa SHS in the Ahafo Ano North Constituency were physically prevented from undertaking their lawful duty by the Military.

It is important to state that the Tepa SHS as per the EC's gazette has two registration centres and does not qualify to be used as a special registration centre according to the Electoral Commission's own publication.

Again, the Electoral Commission in spite of the flagrant disregard for its own publication, deployed sixteen (16) BVRs to the Tepa SHS for registration.

Unfortunately, heavy Military officers were deployed by the state to the Tepa SHS and they prevented 14 of our agents from performing their lawful duties. Sadly, Not even our Regional party monitoring agent, Mr. Brogya Genfi, who has been duly accredited by the EC was granted access to the registration centres.

We were informed by the Military that they have been ordered to prevent all/any NDC official and agents from accessing the registration centres.

A meeting convened by the District Police Commander over this unlawful restraint of deserving participants by the Military where all stakeholders were present did not yield the required results because the Military was determined to execute the orders for which they were deployed.

It is sad that our country is turning into a Military State where all is done by the failed Akufo-Addo government to use the Military to unlawfully intimidate citizens for political gains.

In spite of these challenges, we encourage all Party members in the Ahafo Ano North Constituency to be resolute even in the face of extreme intimidation.

The NDC shall prevail.

Kwame Zu (Regional Secretary)