Arrest NPP’s Anointing and his thugs and apologize to us – Ahafo NDC calls out Ghana Police Service

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ahafo Region have called on the Ghana Police Service to immediately arrest NPP’s Anointing and his goons for their roles played in the Kukuom registration disturbances.

The NDC further demanded from the Ghana Police Service, an unreserved apology and a retraction for linking the NDC with a vigilante group as claimed on their charge sheet.

The Regional Communication Officer for the NDC, Hon Apraku Lartey on Friday, addressed the media to give a full and detailed accounts on what happened at the registration centre.

Kindly read the full statement below;

Press conference by the National Democratic Congress ( NDC) addressing the distortions in in the disturbances that occurred at the limited registration exercise at Kukuom in the Asunafo South Constituency and the biasness of the Ghana Police Service in the matter.

Addressed by Apraku Lartey, Regional Communication Officer

Date: Friday, May 17, 2024

VENUE: NDC Regional Headquarters, Goaso, Ahafo Region.

Ladies and gentlemen of the media fraternity, Fellow Compatriots, we warmly welcome you to this press conference.

The NDC in the Ahafo Region have taken note of the attempt by the NPP and some persons in the Ghana Police Service with ulterior motive to distort the incident that occurred in Kukuom, with the intention to tarnish the hard won reputation of the NDC in the region.

Ladies and gentlemen, we must note that what happened in Kukuom did not happen in a vacuum, we in the NDC thought that the law must take its course as a law abiding political party, we did not want to prejudice the matter while the police investigate the circumstances surrounding it, resting assurance in the fact that the police will be firm and fair in their dealings with both parties, that being the reason the NDC have kept quiet since the matter occurred, if you will recall, we only come out to correct the distortion in the matter any time we identify one. We do that normally in press releases, as you can attest to that, in the form of the series of press releases issued from constituency, regional and national levels over the week.

We have once again identified that our opponents in the NPP have taken the matter in a different dimension and are on information distortion spree, by deliberately adding and subtracting some of the issues, and thereby cajoling the Ghana Police Service to follow suit, in fact you hear some of the narratives and you ask yourself, is it really what happened in Kukuom that they are discussing?

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, let me take you through the events as they occurred on the 11th and 12th days of May 2024, and allow you to draw your own conclusions;

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS IN KUKUOM

Until Saturday, the 11th of May 2024, the limited voter registration exercise in the region had been relatively peaceful and incident free in all the constituencies base on the assurances given by the police that no political party should be worried about security issues, mainly because the Police is capable of providing maximum security in the registration center. What happened at the voter registration center was occasioned by some weapon wielding men led by one Anointing, popularly known to be affiliated to the New Patriotic Party ( NPP) and controlled by the regional minister who storm the calmly center at around 10:am. These tugs and their origination linked to the regional minister is a common knowledge by everybody in the region.

Numbering about 40 of them, these hoodlums dressed with faces and necks covered appeared on the scene and begin to foment tension and pandemonium without any provocation. It all began when these NPP affiliated hoodlums prevented a group of prospective voters from registering, for reasons nobody knew. These armed men chased a group prospective numbering about ten out of the registration center for no apparent reason and justifiable basis for their action. During the
crisis, an assembly member named Honorable Daniel Arthur who is a member of the National Democratic Congress ( NDC) requested for reasons for their actions intended to disenfranchise these prospective voters. In response, the assembly member was subjected to severe beaten for posing a simple constitutional question, again, one Abudulai Mohammed who happened to be the NDC’s ward coordinator for Asarekurom suffered the same fate from the pitiless punches from these tugs. The regional youth organizer in the person of Mr Massawudu Sulemana was also physically assaulted for no obvious reason; he has come to replace the NDC agent who fled the scene for fear of his life.

Just at the time the brutality was at its height, there appeared the regional minister together with the District Chief Executive of the area, Mr Aduse Opoku who also doubles as the Parliamentary
Candidate for the NPP in the Asunafo-South Constituency. Immediately, the regional minister organized his men and had a brief meeting with these goons who were causing mayhem in the registration center. What transpired in the meeting still remained a secret among these three parties in the meeting. One would have expected that after the meeting, peace was going to be restored. These brutes dressed and masked as jungle warriors were led by a known NPP fanatics called Anointing who was deputized by one Akwasi Osofo whose faces were unmasked.

Those ten prospective voters who were threatened, molested and driven away from the registration center took refuge with one Madam Barikisu, at Kukuom. Madam Barikisu has had her statement taken at the regional police office on the 12th day of May 2024.

When some of the police and NIB officials were informed about the incident, they at once recalled those prospective registrants to come and register. The police admonished the hoodlums to utilized the challenge forms instead of resorting to unlawful means of seeking redress. Upon hearing that these young innocent qualified voters have been backed in the line to register, Anointing and his thugs were incensed about the insistence of the police and the NIB’s decision, and came in with full force to grab these young persons from the queue and subjected them to merciless manhandling until they fled for their lives never came back to the registration center again, because the fear of Satan has been put in them by Anointing and his gangs.

Ladies and gentlemen, at this time the situation got out of hands, the police were overwhelmed by the unbridled activities of these thugs that by 3 pm the police command had requested for reinforcement from the region to aid their efforts to contain the situation, and to restore calm for registration to proceed.

A group of men purported to sympathize with the NDC emerged at the registration center at around 4:20 pm to offer support and solidarity to their relatives who were being brutalized by these NPP weapon wielding criminals, as soon as they got to the scene the police authorities invited them, had a short conversation with them and assured them of their ability to control the situation so they should return. At the advice of the police, the second group made a U-turn to where they have come from peacefully, as they made their way out of the center, they were accosted by a member from the troublesome gang led by Anointing, opened his white salon vehicle door and begun shooting at the second group. This account was given as part of the police briefing on the 12th day of May 2024.

Ladies and gentlemen if you find yourself in a range of these thugs who ran out of bullets whiles firing at you, what will you do? What would you have done? Would you not defend yourself?
Surprisingly, the person who the police claim drove his car to cross the other group, pull out a gun and started shooting is the one the police claim was the first time registrant who was beaten. What a police, no wonder they have succeeded in reversing time.

Ladies and gentlemen, considering the chronology of events that occurred in Asunafo-South, a constituency far away from Asutifi-South and the events produced, where does Alhaji Collins Dauda come in?

The biased nature of the Ghana Police Service in the matter

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, compatriots, now let us soberly reflect on the events leading to the arrest of some people purporting to belong to the second group, and answer for yourself whether the police has been fair or not.

First of all, the second group whose member is purported to have been arrested appeared at the
scene at around 4:20 pm according to the police briefing, they have been met by the police and
been assured to go back because the police could arrest the situation. Let us take note of the time
stated in the police briefing.

Again the police official briefing indicated that the police command requested for reinforcement at 3: 00 pm. The immediate question that comes into mind is what necessitated the need for
reinforcement, and at what time did the second group appear at the scene. One of the three
sympathizers of the NDC in the person of Abdulai Mohammed an NDC ward coordinator for
Asarekrom who was beaten by the NPP thugs led by Anointing reported the matter to the police
at around 11 am on the 11th day of May 2024 at the Kukuom police stations per information
gathered.

According to the police charge sheet, Mr Abdulai Mohammed, the NDC coordinator for Asarekrom electoral area lodged official complain to the police at around 11:am and was given a
medical report to attend hospital, ironically, you will find on the police charge sheet that these
victims who are known sympathizers of the NDC were brutalized by the same group purporting
to be affiliated to the NDC, ladies and gentlemen, how this could be possible is the puzzle for the day. Provided the second group was even beating people without discrimination, consider the time the complaint of assault was made to the police and when the group appeared on the scene. Was the time reversed to meet the circumstances, today our police is more powerful and miraculous than the Biblical Joshua , they did not even only stop the time from moving they
succeeded in reversing the time, how can an event that occurred at 11:am be attributed to
persons who appeared on the scene at around 4:20 pm.

My brothers and sisters, how can the police identify and arrest a car and the driver that appeared and spent less than thirty minutes at a scene and proceed to identify the owner for questioning but could not identify a vehicle that almost seven hours with its passengers terrorizing citizens at the registration center. It is a shame for the police to rope in and make Collins Dauda the center of attraction in this matter, solely because his vehicle was found in the scene of an incident, but
could not even identify the regional minister and the DCE of the area who were seen publicly in
a meeting with these goons. Is it because the vehicle they used belonged to the chairman of the NPP?

How can the police arrest a member purporting to belong to the second group and fail to identify
and question any member of the first group whose actions precipitated the chaos in the first place. How can the police charge members purporting the second group in absentia but fail to apprehend and charge any of the members of the first group? So the statement made by the director general in charge of operation that it takes two to fight, so we ask, where is the other part
to the fight?

The NDC have been categorical about the attack on first time registrants by these NPP known tugs who prevented prospective registrants from registering, now on the police charge sheet it is
stated that the second group went to the scene to prevent first time voters from registering, the multi-million dollar question is that if the police has been able to ascertain the mission of the second group they should as well been able to tell the mission of the first group. We do not want to rest content with someone who only deals with the effect of a problem but fails to grapple with the underlying cause of the problem. This window dressing of a serious issue will only satisfy us
intermittently but, will, however swamp us in the future.

If the police fails to be firm and fair and act impartially in this matter, they should now that the
oppressed today will be oppressors tomorrow.

We have also gathered intelligence that the NPP intends to transport people from outside the
region. Predominately the Ashanti region to transfer their votes to Ahafo, we want to state emphatically, that such actions will only breed chaos and confusion as the NDC will stand up
and defend the constitution of the country. We shall prevent such persons who dare to elect leaders for us, we shall defend the integrity of the elections by all illegitimate means even if that will cost our lives, just as our forefathers and foremothers laid their lives for the country.

Demands by the NDC

1. We demand the immediate arrest of the regional minister for the Ahafo Region

2. We also demand the arrest of the District Chief Executive of Asunafo-South

3. We demand the arrest of Anointing and his goons

4. We demand the police’s unreserved apology and retraction for linking the great NDC with a vigilante group as claimed on their charge sheet

5. We demand a impartial police system in the Ahafo region.

We thank you for your attention

Signed
Apraku Lartey
0244122511

For further information contact the following;

Joseph Baradoe
0244590480

Budali Mohammed
0249210585

Alfred Aboagye
0249913613