Mohammed Alhassan
A MEMBER of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has disowned a statement he purportedly gave to the East Legon Police Command during the day of the Ayawaso West Wuogon violent by-election.
Mohammed Alhassan had according to a statement submitted to the Commission by the Police, indicated that on January 31, 2019, which was the date of the election, he had left his constituency, Ablekuman Central to go and assist the NDC parliamentary cansidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon with the by-election and also provide him with security.
But when he appeared before the Justice Emile Short Commission on Friday March 8, 2019, he virtually disowned the statement.
When Justice Short read out the account he had reportedly rendered to the police and drawn his attention to the fact that he had told the police he went to offer security service, he said “I didn’t say so but rather I said I went there as an observer.”
He is the second of NDC’s members to have virtually denied or disown statements they are said to have given to the police.
Seidu Hudu Zanzeh, another member of the NDC virtually disowned every claim he was reported to have made to the police, when he appeared before the Commission on Thursday, March 7, 2019.
Mr. Alhassan briefed the Commission that he shot at the right shoulder of an alleged member of the national security.
He noted that he arrived in the constituency that day at about 6:30am to observe the by-election, claiming that he got his training as an election observer in 2016 but that on the day it was his first time going to observe a by-election.
According to him, while waiting in front of the residence of the NDC’s parliamentary candidate to pick his accreditation tag for the by-election, some personnel of national security numbering about 30 to 35 arrived.
He stated that he yielded himself up to the operatives to be searched but when he was asked to leave after the search, he refused.
Again, he claimed that he was an executive member of the NDC at Ablekuman Central and that because of his experience he decided to go and help with the by-election.
He also noted that during by-elections, NDC executive members who have experience do avail themselves to assist the party.
That made the lawyer for the Commission, Eric Osei-Mensah to ask whether it was the general practice for NDC’s executives to visit any constituency across the country to observe an election.
But Mr. Alhassan’s lawyer objected to the question, saying categorically that “if you want to put some facts to the witness it should be what the witness has said.”
Justice Short wondered what was wrong with the Commission’s lawyer’s question.
The Justice however overruled the objection, paving way for the hearing to continue.
BY Melvin Tarlue