The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has expressed deep-seated reservations about the attitude of government and its assigns in the handling of the arrest, detention and subsequent deportation of the three South African security experts brought into the country by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The three men, Major Chris Hazis (rtd), 54; Warrant Officer (WO) Denver Dwayhe Naidu (rtd), 39 and Captain Mlungiseleli Jokani (rtd) 45, were picked up by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) at the El Capitano Hotel in Agona Duakwa, Central Region sometime last week when they were training 15 security details and drivers of NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo and those of his running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in various defensive manoeuvres.

They were subsequently kept in communicado until a court granted them bail, even though they were literally branded as mercenaries and terrorists brought into the country by the NPP to destabilize Ghana – as suggested by Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho.

Defiance

But the BNI defied the court order, rearrested them and kept them in custody until their final deportation on Tuesday.

In a statement however, the PPP said it found it “extremely appalling the ordeal the three South African nationals were made to go through in the past week,” wondering how a country hailed by the world as the leader of African democracy would “flout court orders with impunity and ministers of state will openly defend such illegality.”

“Which government in its own right senses will deport suspected ‘terrorists’ or ‘mercenaries’ without going through due process?” the statement, signed by the PPPs National Secretary, Murtala Mohammed, asked rhetorically.

For the party, “This incident will be captured in history as one of Ghana’s lowest ebbs and remains one of the black spots on President John Dramani Mahama, aside his incompetence.”

Call For Ministers’ Heads

In that regard, the PPP has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Communications and his deputy for spreading “palpable falsehood laced with agitprop with the intention to deceive the people of Ghana.”

PPP has also asked that the BNI officials who were involved in the arrest and detention of the South Africans be sacked or made to face the full rigours of the law whiles urging that “our Ministers and other government officials must learn to act responsibly and be responsible for their actions because no man is above the law, especially when you are paid with the public purse.”

STL Confusion

The party could equally not fathom claims by the Minister of Interior, Prosper Bani, to the effect that Israeli company, Superlock Technologies Limited (STL), was contracted by the Electoral Commission (EC) to transmit results of the 2012 elections to the Commission.

This is in view of EC’s own denial of any dealings with the group when the issue came up during the 2012 general elections as contained in a statement issued and signed by then chairman, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.

For the PPP, “The continued silence on the part of the EC on this revelation will mean that the EC, led by Dr. Afari-Gyan; International Observers, led by President Obasanjo and the NDC, led by John Mahama, perpetrated a fraudulent explanation on us all when it was alleged that the STL was engaged in the transmission of results prior to the declaration of results in the 2012 elections.”

The PPP has demanded immediate clarification of this matter in order to ensure the credibility or sanctity of the November elections.