PP TO CLOSE TOGO BORDER

72- HOURS BEFORE RUN-OFF

...Meetings At Castle and La Palm Royal Hotel Unveils Plot

...Togolese Being Lobbied To Do Hatchet Job But They Are Reluctant

The True Democrat can report on authority that the NPP plans to close the Eastern frontier three days ahead of the presidential run-off on December 28, 2008. A meeting held at the La Palm Royal Hotel in Accra on Thursday, December 11, 2008 discussed extensively new methods to deny Ghanaian citizens living along the border with Togo their franchise. The decision to close the border seventy-two hours (72-hours) before the D-Day is to outwit the citizens, most whom cross the border daily either to work in the sister country or to transact business.

According to the intelligence sources who attended the high profile meeting, the meeting which was initially held in the Castle had to be shifted to the La Palm Royal due to disagreements. While a son of the Volta Region, who attended the Castle meeting warned of the dangers of their own supporters turning against the government because of its discriminatory nature, the decision as to how to handle it was deferred. The deferral was done to exclude the said person from the subsequent meeting, which took place in the plush hotel.

At the meeting, the open condemnation by the Agbogbomefia, Togbui Afede of the closure of the eastern frontier twenty-four (24) hours before the first round of voting on December 7 2008, was discussed. The consensus was that he should be ignored. The meeting then proceeded to weigh the options available to them, citing the possibility of the NDC machinery alerting its supporters not to cross the border a day to the election run-off. Sensing that their plan could be ineffective this time round, the meeting which included some noted security chiefs from the Armed Forces, Immigration and Customs and Preventive Service (CEPS) proposed to shut the border with Togo three days to the run-off. True Democratintelligence further revealed a plan 'B' which is to involve the Togolese authorities.

high-powered delegation has been dispatched to Togo to discuss the possibility of closing their side of the border with Ghana. On the condition that the Togolese agreed to the proposal, the Government of Ghana is to hide behind this secret diplomatic manoeuvre to escape criticism. However, signals picked by the intelligence indicate that the Togolese authorities are reluctant to close their side of the border. Our sources said President Faure Gnassingbe is not inclined to carry out what is seen as a heinous act against the people, who are constitutionally mandated to exercise their franchise.

source very close to Togo's Interior Ministry told the intelligence of their reluctance due to the uncertainty of which political party will form the next government in Ghana. According to the Togolese Interior Ministry sources, they do not see why the country should be used to create bad-blood with their own kin and kith while the other frontiers, notably the Western and Northern frontiers are to remain open on the day of the election. With the Togolese unbending to the pressures from the NPP government, the government's decision to go ahead to close the border at least 72-hours before the run-off is likely to raise tension in the Volta Region.

Meanwhile, the True Democrat intelligence unit reports of a massive deployment of NPP Party Police to the Volta Region on voting day with the sole intention of intimidating, harassing and scaring the voters away from the polls on December 28. The NPP Party Police are expected to draw support from the 64 Infantry Regiment. The soldiers earmarked for the exercise are those exclusively trained in Israel, Morocco and Nigeria when the NPP came to power in 2001. Most of them were said to have been handpicked from Jamasi and Nkawie in the Ashanti Region. More anon