A security scare took hold of staff of Electoral Commission (EC) at its headquarters in Accra in the heat of last Thursday’s by-election in Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.
The unhindered access by the over 20 National Democratic Congress (NDC) inclement-looking apparatchiks to the security enclave, especially when the EC was engaged in an election in Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, exposed the security fault lines at the Commission.
Leading the arrowhead was Party Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo supported by NDC flagbearer aspirant, Sylvester Mensah, former Attorney General, Marrietta Brew-Appiah Oppong, Executive member, Baba Jamal and 20 others.
The fear and panic which their presence triggered was heightened by the conduct of the 20 or so cops manning a fleet of armoured cars, who watched indifferently as the gatecrashers exploited the unhindered access into the bowels of the EC at a crucial time and made their way to the office of the chairperson.
DAILY GUIDE later learnt from a source that when the party chiefs met the EC Chairperson, they told her that their mission was to tell the Commission that they were withdrawing from the by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.
Some of the gatecrashers had earlier seen action at the residence of the NDC candidate; their countenances adding to the fear of the EC staff who could not fathom their mission.
It was unscheduled and coming on the heels of the nasty incident at the residence of their candidate in the by-elections.
Many workers who saw and identified them developed goose pimples and wondered how to take cover should the visit be eventful.
A local security operative at EC, who pleaded anonymity when DAILY GUIDE reached out to him, said “we are disappointed at the manner in which the police almost organised a quarter guard and presented arms for the gatecrashers.’
A review of the security arrangement at the EC has been necessitated by the perception created by the flaunting of the unenviable violent pedigree and how the opposition intended to conduct the 2020 polls by some party leaders in the aftermath of the recent by-election and the unprofessional conduct of the cops at the location last Thursday.
With the by-election just about three hours to its closure, the withdrawal did not have any effect since NDC officials went round the constituency encouraging supporters to go and vote for their candidate, Delali Kwasi Brempong.
Statements of polls at the end of the electoral exercise with signatures of party agents, including NDC, suggest that the mission to the EC did not after all register the desired result: there was a by-election and the NDC took part.
The EC Chairperson would not pick her calls after a couple of calls to her.
Perhaps now that the story is out she would speak to the issue.
Had she picked her call, we would have asked whether she had reported the security scare and the poor show of his personnel to the IGP.
By A.R. Gomda