Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Two members of the National Demcratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah appear not to have overcome the reality of their party’s defeat in the 2020 polls and have filed a petition at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), for a probe into violence and killings recorded during the polls.
The North Tongu and Ellembelle MPs are therefore invoking CHRAJ’s legal mandate to investigate the conduct of security officers in the election.
Shockingly, although there are two Private Members motions in Parliament currently seeking to probe the same issues, the two MPs still went ahead to petition CHRAJ.
They lodged the complaint against the Ministers for Interior and Defence, the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff and specifically want happenings at Techiman South, Odododiodio, Ablekuma Central, and Savelugu constituencies in the Bono East, Greater Accra and Northern Regions investigated.
The MPs want the manner in which the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces discharged their constitutional and statutory mandates in the aforementioned constituencies during the general elections.
The legislators argue that a review of the documents and video footage accompanying their complaint show that, the victims were indeed injured and killed by the direct conduct or actions of uniformed officers and the National Election Security Taskforce (NESTF) during the elections.
In furtherance, they said, the evidence also points to a display of needless and unjustifiable brute and excessive force incommensurate with the actual threat with disregard to other less fatal options for the purpose.
The petition added that “the complainants finally demand that the investigation identify the role played by the Ministers of the Interior and Defence in terms of instructions and orders in relation to the conduct resulting in this complaint, and the lack of leadership or proper oversight to prevent, stop or respond in a manner to curb the violations that have occurred”.
Copy of the petition attached
CHRAJ Petition on election deaths
By Vincent Kubi