Jean Mensa
Top officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) escaped what could have been a bloody attack by persons working on the instructions of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo/Prampram during a workshop they were holding at a location in Accra on Saturday.
The EC, while respecting an injunction secured by Sam George to prevent the commission from training its officers in his constituency, moved its social distancing workshop for different batches of its officials to Accra.
The movement was informed by the terms of the injunction which demanded that the commission should not hold its planned workshop in Ningo/Prampram.
Following the relocation of the venue of the truncated workshop just so many officials would not cluster on one location in breach of the social distancing order and satisfied that all was well, a gang of fiery-looking persons led by Sam George descended on the participants.
For those who witnessed what transpired during the ill-fated Ayawaso West Wuogon by election, they could not resist recalling the nightmare as the hoodlums marched on.
But for the timely arrival of police officers after a phone call, the red-eyed hoodlums could have visited mayhem on the participants.
The police dispersed the hoodlums as they told them that the officials were not engaged in anything untoward.
An observer of the development who pleaded anonymity wondered what could have happened had there been an accidental discharge or even a deliberate opening of fire.
“This was an obvious and deliberate attempt at stoking confusion, with a view to branding the EC as not law-abiding,” he said.
The EC is running a workshop for its officials in batches ahead of an intended voters’ registration exercise for the 2020 general election, an exercise which DAILY GUIDE learnt ends on Wednesday.
By A.R. Gomda