The Ghana Police Service has condemned Saturday’s clashes between supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam constituency of the Central Region.

The clashes resulted in an NDC supporter losing an eye and three supporters of the NPP ending up with stab wounds.

The NDC has accused the NPP of starting the violence, claiming their supporters were announcing an upcoming keep fit exercise when their opponents pounced on them, but the NPP has rejected the claims accusing the NDC of peddling falsehood.

Speaking on Class91.3FM’s Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Monday, 3 October, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Cephas Arthur, said for a nation touted as Africa’s beacon of democracy, the development was unfortunate.

“It only means that Ghanaians are still learning the ropes of elections. We are still learning the ropes of democratic governance. … It means we are still not far away from the infant stage of democracy. We have been practising this, if for nothing at all, since 1992 … so, if we are still engaging in activities like this, that is very unfortunate, considering the fact that we have become a beacon for other states in the sub-region and on the continent and even elsewhere on other continents. So, if we go to this extent and engage in fisticuffs, acts of acrimony and vandalism just because we are preparing to elect our leaders, then we still have a lot more to learn.”