….NDC demands increased security In Awutu Senya East
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Awutu Senya East, has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, to deploy additional security personnel to the constituency to prevent a repeat of the violence witnessed at the Steps to Christ Registration Centre during the 2020 elections.
In July 2020, violence erupted at the centre, when armed individuals fired into the crowd, leaving one person with gunshot wounds.
Ms Hawa Koomson, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Awutu Senya East Constituency, later admitted in a television interview with Adom TV, that she fired the warning shots to defend herself and that her people after feeling threatened, while touring registration centres in her constituency.
“When I got the information that people were being bussed from some places into my constituency, I couldn’t sit down for people to come and register in my constituency and elect an MP for the people of Kasoa…I work with men because I can’t work with women alone in this political enterprise. None of my men had guns on them when we got to the centre, I fired the shots myself. Yes, I gave those warning shots to protect myself, she said in the Adom TV interview.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, November 30, 2024, the NDC Youth Organiser for the constituency, Nash Nyande Adams, revealed that the party has gathered intelligence suggesting that some individuals involved in the 2020 disturbances have resurfaced in the constituency just days before the elections.
He warned that the likelihood of chaos, is high and called for proactive measures to maintain peace.
Adams also appealed to the IGP to ensure that law enforcement agencies remain vigilant at polling stations and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. Additionally, he stressed the importance of guaranteeing that all votes are counted transparently and without interference.
“We have picked up intelligence that individuals who fired gunshots into the crowd at the Steps to Christ Centre that led to one person sustaining injuries during the 2020 elections are in the constituency a few days before the elections. We want the IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare to take up the matter since we don’t want a repeat of the 2020 incident.
“The IGP must act swiftly and decisively in the face of this mounting threat. This intelligence must not be treated with indifference. It must be acted upon before this dangerous plot unfolds,” the constituency youth organiser said.
“As NDC members in Awutu Senya East, we stand ready to ensure that the will of the people is not trampled upon. Let it be known that if the police fail to protect us, we will stand ready to protect ourselves and our members,” Nash Nyande Adams said.
The Constituency Youth Organiser, also expressed worry over the destruction of billboards and posters belonging to the Parliamentary candidate for the party Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunnor by some individuals.
According to him, the party has on several occasions reported the matter to the police but has not seen any arrests being made.
“We want the IGP to immediately deploy a dedicated task force to the constituency to investigate and arrest individuals involved in the wanton destruction of NDC billboards and posters as well as those who sponsor these criminal acts.
“Failure on the part of law enforcement agencies to act will further embolden these individuals to continue. As NDC, we will no longer tolerate this glaring impunity,” the constituency youth organiser said.
Ms Koomson, had in July 2020 disclosed that she received information that, members of the opposition NDC were bussing people from outside the constituency, from Gomoa East and Nsawam to register at the Step to Christ polling station.
She claimed that particular polling station was her [NPP] stronghold and has never lost an election in that polling station [2012 and 2016].
She said she told her informant that when she sees it again, she should call her. So when she got information again that it was happening, she decided to visit the registration.
According to her, when she arrived at the scene, there were some boys on motorbikes and she felt her manager and boys who had arrived at the scene were in danger so she fired the warning shots.
The incident occurred at the centre situated at the Step to Christ polling station. Reports indicate there were other gunshots apart from the one from Hawa Koomson.
Some motorbikes were burnt at the centre and EC officials at the centre were attacked as well during the confusion which disrupted the registration process for a while.
The police later intervened and arrested four people after the shooting. A gun was seized by the police.
But speaking on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, the then Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Oppong said due process was being followed for her to aid with investigations.
“We have gathered information through our informants and also the media today that there are people who have voluntarily come out to confess their involvement in some of the activities that happened there. They are the people we are inviting to come and help us with investigations. We’ll invite Honourable Mavis Hawa Koomson to come and assist us, but then there is a procedure,” she said.
“If you intend to invite a sitting MP to come to the police station to assist with the investigation, there is a procedure so we have started the procedure as a police agency and it will be forwarded to her and we expect that she will assist us in this. Police is a procedural work and again we have the service instruction that gives us the directions on how you go about your investigations and we also have the criminal procedure which also aids us in doing our work,” DSP Oppong added.
Four persons, have been arrested in connection with the disruptions at the registration centre but there was never a prosecution.
