The Ghana Police Service has arrested one person following a chaos that erupted at the NDC party office in Akwatia.
According to reports Afenyo-Markin’s visit to the NDC office sparked a heated exchange between NDC members and the entourage of the Minority Leader.
NDC supporters alleged that the NPP’s Afenyo-Markin and his team stormed the NDC office to remove some posters of their candidate.
The police intervention led to one person being arrested at the NDC party office and placed in a designated Black Maria.
Voting is underway in the Akwatia constituency with 119 polling stations voting to elect a new member of parliament following the sad passing of Ernest Kumi.
Over 50,000 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Operations, COP Vance Baba Gariba, has revealed the military will be on standby during the Akwatia by-election.
COP Vance Baba Gariba detailed that the military will only be deployed if the condition makes it necessary.
Speaking to the media, COP Vance Baba Gariba stated, “The military will be only on standby. As and when we need them, then we will deploy them, but if we don’t need the military, then we will not request for the deployment of the military. They are only going to be on standby”.
He further appealed to the people of Akwatia to come out in their numbers to vote, as they will be protected throughout the process.
“I want to reassure all the good people of Akwatia that they should come out in their numbers and exercise their franchise. The GPS will continue to reassure of their safety and security during this period”, COP Vance Baba Gariba added.
Also, Richard Kumadoe, a security consultant, has said the Ghana Police alone cannot guarantee peace in the upcoming Akwatia by-election.
Speaking on CITI Eyewitness News on Friday, August 29, Mr Kumadoe detailed, “The police, just like the military, have gone to do what we call reccy, and I believe they have gone to do security mapping. It is also the reason why the IGP met with the political parties to address their concerns. He mentioned that he is going into Akwatia with 5,000 men. Even if every polling station has 30 personnel, he will still have some men at his disposal”.
“For the election to be successful, there are three people who must act correctly. The Electoral Commission must discharge its statutory duty. If we get to Akwatia and the machines don’t come or they come and are not working, that is not the job of the police. If there is voter displacement or discrepancies during collation, it is not the fault of the police,” he stressed.
He warned that the lapses in EC logistics could trigger tension, adding, “For the election to be successful, there are three people who must act correctly. The Electoral Commission must discharge its statutory duty.
If we get to Akwatia and the machines don’t come or they come and are not working, that is not the job of the police. If there is voter displacement or discrepancies during collation, it is not the fault of the police,” he warned.
Mr Kumadoe further observed, “It has always been the case that the politician, who is the third person in the bracket, will not do their work, bastardise the whole process, create all manner of problems, and then blame everybody”.
He concluded by praising the police for demonstrating preparedness. “The police and the IGP have shown readiness to deal with anybody who wants to flout our laws. It is a shared responsibility”.
Tensions mounting in Akwatia after a misunderstanding broke out over the removal of a campaign banner of the NDC Parliamentary candidate, Benard Bediako Baidoo, by a person moving with a delegation of NPP executives. pic.twitter.com/4b6eP2XyVB
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