The minister addressing the media. Seated behind him are the IGP; Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Alber Gaisie and Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu
THE POLICE Administration has denied that it is biased towards supporters and members of political parties other than the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its response to reported cases of election-related violence across the country.
Minister of Interior, Prosper Bani, said this in Accra on Tuesday on behalf of the Police Service in an interaction with the media on the activities of the various security agencies under the ministry. The interaction aimed at furnishing the media with measures being put in place to prevent any violence in this year’s elections.
The minister, who decided to answer a question posed by DAILY GUIDE to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) John Kudalor and the National Peace Council on whether the police administration and the council were acting fairly towards supporters and members of all political parties in their response to reported cases of electoral violence, said the police have so far been just to all parties in their operations towards this year’s elections.
It would be recalled that supporters and members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) particularly in the Eastern Region, have in recent times reported the police in the region for not arresting supposed NDC thugs who reportedly attacked some NPP members.
The leadership of the NPP in the Eastern Region who felt frustrated with the police’s inability to address the hooliganism by supposed activists of the NDC, had vowed to carry out reprisal attacks, should the IGP fail to call the NDC thugs to order.
Even though the police administration reportedly could not call to order the purported activists of the NDC who allegedly attacked and inflicted severe injuries on supporters of the NPP, it was able to invite NPP Northern Regional Chairman, and the founder of Glorious Word Ministry International, Bugri Naabu and Prophet Isaac Owusu Bempah, respectively for questioning regarding reported statements they had made.
Bugri Naabu was reported to have said the NPP in the Northern Region would deploy ‘macho men’ to man ballot boxes to prevent the ruling party from snatching them in this year’s elections; while Prophet Owusu Bempah had said some persons were plotting to kill the NPP flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The invitation extended to the two individuals for questioning was widely viewed to be politically motivated and bias, considering the fact that several reports of brutal attacks by NDC supporters on NPP members had preceded the comments made by the regional chairman and the prophet, which the police administration reportedly did not act upon.
But Mr Bani argued that the police equally caused the arrests of some NDC ‘thugs’ in the Eastern Region who reportedly caused mayhem but such arrests were not made openly.
He said the administration had adopted an impartial stand in responding to electoral violence in Ghana.
Earlier, he said there will be “zero tolerance for any individual or group that intends to disturb the peace of this country,” assuring Ghanaians that there is no need for panic or fear in this year’s elections.
BY Melvin Tarlue