Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Director for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of sponsoring tribal and ethnocentric discrimination, and violence meted out at eligible Ghanaians in several parts of the country.
Sammy Gyamfi in a press briefing today remarked that it’s unpardonable and undemocratic of the President and his appointees to ‘deliberately’, overlook the incidence of violence in perceived strongholds of the NDC, at Registration Centers for the Voter Registration Exercise.
He presented a dossier of evidence to counter claims made by the Defence Minister Dominic Ntiwul, that reports of violence and discrimination are untruth.
Cases of Violence at NDC’s Strongholds
Sammy Gyamfi presented the following cases to buttress his account, most of which are pictorial evidence broadcasted on national televisions and social media.
Its argued that thousands of eligible voters have been physically prevented from registering for a voter ID in the area. This situation triggered an action by the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketsiah to break the frontiers of the military who had barricaded the road that leads to the registration center to allow these applicants to register.
Sammy Gyamfi disclosed that those settlers are of Ghanaian descent, who had been relocated downstream as a result of the Bui Dam project.
Ahafo Ano North
Applicants were denied the right from registering despite possessing a Ghana Card as required by the EC, were instructed by NPP thugs and other security officers. The reason, Sammy Gyamfi noted, was that they did not bear Akan names. He disclosed that those Ghanaians are of the Gruma tribe but we’re considered, and prejudicially considered Northerners.
BVR Kits Tempered
BVR kits deployed to the Akwaada Nyame community in the same Banda Constituency, stop suspiciously. The District EC official, according to Mr. Gyamfi declined suggestions for replacing the faulty equipment but waited long hours in the ‘dying’ hours of the exercise in the area for an IT Officer to fix it.
Even after which, some 300 eligible applicants were physically assaulted in an attempt to register after joining the cue for those long periods waiting.
Drobonso Assault
Some five party officials of the NDC were arrested, brutalized, and detained by the military and police for challenging the eligibility of some applicants.
Two of these victims sustained injuries.
“How come a lawful exercise, that our people who follow due process to challenge the eligibility of some applicants to result in such brutality?” Sammy Gyamfi asked.
Ketu South
The Ketu South has been reduced to a war zone, Sammy Gyamfi described. He disclosed that some travelers who were being bussed to a funeral were intercepted by the joint military and police personnel, assaulting the driver and any person who stood up to their intimidation.
He said that the said security personnel whom Ghanaians have been lied to, to be patrolling the southeast borders of the nation are now invading homes and communities.
Oti Region
Some 17 Ghanaians who were in a cue at the Pena village, of the Nkwanta South, were instructed by to fall out.
National Security operatives fired warning shots thereby disrupting the entire exercise.
“Their crime was that they speak French .. and where concluded to be Togolese..” Sammy Gyamfi added.
Eastern Region
In the Asugyaman, Ewe settler communities have been invaded by two groups of the military.
“They’ve been brandishing weapons at innocent civilians at Registration Centers,” Sammy Gyamfi lamented. He alleged that the Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare mobilized thugs and police, and stormed the houses of registered non-akans and took their cards from them.
“Reasons that they are non- Ghanaians,” Sammy Gyamfi said.
Central Region
Sammy Gyamfi disclosed that cases of such violence are frequent in the Upper Denkyira West and East, Assin Central, South, and other Zongo communities in the Central Region.
He described as shocking, how perceived ‘foreigners’ are yanked from the cues not to register.
“And to an extent, announcing and threatening violence on public information center’s,” he noted.
Call off Military at Registration Centers
Mr. Gyamfi charged that, for peace to prevail especially at the final phase of the voter registration exercise, President Akufo-Addo must call off his military deployment to all center’s to allow more civil conduct of security service by the Police.