The fresh Police Recruits in a queue outside the venue
But for the vigilance of some party agents and hints from some security officers, a total of 703 unqualified fresh police recruits would have participated in the December 1, Special Voting Exercise at the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs in the Bolgatanga Constituency.
The recruits were transported in Yutong buses to the venue in the early hours of the day with intent to cast their votes.
The opposition parties – New Patriotic Party, People’s National Convention and Convention People’s Party – opposed the inclusion of the fresh recruits to the category of Ghanaians who were to vote in the Special Voting Exercise.
The recruits, according to the opposition parties, had never stayed in the Bolgatanga Constituency and so did not even qualify to transfer their votes and for that reason, were very sure that they did not qualify to vote in the Bolgatanga Central Constituency in the Special Voting, and even on Wednesday, December 7.
The opposition parties were also of the conviction that the fresh recruits reported for training at the Pwalugu Police Training School in the Talensi Constituency, after the deadline for the receipt of names and details of persons who qualify to participate in yesterday’s exercise.
The Bolgatanga Central Constituency has a total of 777 persons that were approved to cast their votes. And if the 703 recruits had been allowed the number of special voters would have been 1,480.
The opposition parties’ decision to prevent the recruits from voting resulted in a serious argument and physical confrontations, especially between some National Democratic Congress agents and those of the New Patriotic Party. This was quickly resolved and the recruits were whisked away from the venue. They converged at the Ramsy Park and later the Upper East Regional Police Headquarters before being taken out of the Bolgatanga Central Constituency for peace to return to the area.
A member of the New Patriotic Party Campaign Team, Awonekai A. Elvis-Figo, in an interview said the NPP suspects that the recruits were deliberately brought there to increase the votes of the NDC.
According to him, intelligence the party gathered ahead of the exercise was that the NPP’s parliamentary candidate was ahead and so if the NDC was to maintain the seat, then they would have to work harder. “We suspect this is one of the things that they intend to do to ensure their victory; it will not work. We will be vigilant and ensure that the true choice of the people of Bolgatanga is not changed.”
From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga