Some NDC members in Techiman demonstrate to present a petition to the regional minister
Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Wednesday clashed with the police in the Bono East Region over a petition they said they were presenting to the Regional Minister.
According to the NDC, they were marching to present a petition regarding its slain members in the Techiman South Constituency during the 2020 general election to the acting Regional Minister, Kofi Amoakohene, for onward submission to the government.
They then decided that the police did not have any right to tell them which route to take to present the petition and as a result, struggled with the police.
According to the NDC Regional Secretariat, it was not the duty of the police to decide for them which route to follow to present their petition to the Regional Minister at the Bono East Regional Coordinating Council.
They claimed the police was only to protect them through the principal streets by making sure the march did not generate into violence but not to decide for them which principal streets to use to present their petition once they had the permit from them.
The incident nearly resulted into violence when the police mounted a barricade in front of the RCC for them to do the right thing.
The petition, which was eventually presented to a staff of the RCC in the absence of the minister, asked the President to set up a committee to probe circumstances that led to the killing of two of their members in the Techiman South Constituency election during the December 7, 2020 general election.
The protest march which saw scores of the members in red dresses was organized by the regional executives and supported by the national executives.
Part of the petition alleged that there was long silence from the government to bring perpetrators to justice.
The Bono East Regional NDC Chairman, Unas Owusu, and the regional secretary, Mohammed Shamsudeen, jointly presented the petition.
Deputy National General Secretary, Peter Boamah Otukonor, who was part of the demonstrators, told the press the NDC was peaceful and law abiding but would not sit down unconcerned while its members, in his own words, were killed unjustifiably.
It must be recalled that two members of the opposition party lost their lives during the collation of the Techiman South parliamentary election results during the 2020 general election.
The regional minister, Mr. Amoakohene, immediately after the incident, issued out a press statement and said a committee was set up to investigate the matter and perpetrators would be held responsible.
He subsequently visited those who were injured and consoled the bereaved families.
The NDC has since not exercised patience for the committee to finish its work, according to a source from the RCC.
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Techiman