Nana Kwadwo Yeboah, also known as Nana Kay, an aspiring National Organiser for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), states that the party lacks trust in the police to provide the necessary security for the upcoming Akwatia by-election.
He doubts the police’s assurance that the September 2, 2025, by-election will be peaceful. For peace to prevail, he emphasises, there must be equal rights and justice. “Where justice exists, peace always follows,” he declares.
“The Inspector General of Police (IGP) met with political parties and assured us that they will maintain peace before, during, and after the by-election. That is our expectation.”
He points to the Ablekuma North rerun of some polling stations as an example of the police’s failure to ensure the safety and security of opposition party members. According to Yeboah, several NPP members were assaulted in the presence of police officers who failed to intervene.
“To this day,” he says, “the police have not updated us on whether they have arrested and prosecuted those who attacked our members. We know the attackers. The evidence is public, so it is unfortunate that the police have not arrested them. We know the faces of the attackers, yet they have not been arrested. How then will the police maintain order during the Akwatia by-election and deal with those who engage in lawlessness?”
He proposes that the military’s presence would deter anyone planning to engage in violent activities. “If we continue to do things this way, it will be unfortunate,” he added.
“The NPP is a law-abiding and peaceful political party, and the recent Ablekuma North incident proved that. We also have the capacity to respond to what happened, but we are in a democracy, not a lawless state. We are appealing to the IGP to come to Akwatia and ensure his men perform their duties professionally. We need proper protection, security, and discipline.”
He stressed “As a political party, we are interested in the country’s peace and stability, and we expect authorities to demonstrate leadership and not allow violence to mar this by-election. Our members do not trust the IGP and his men to provide the necessary security during the Akwatia by-election, so the IGP and the Police Service must prove us wrong. We are not asking the police to intimidate anyone; we are appealing to them to ensure they prosecute anyone who misbehaves in Akwatia, regardless of who they are or their affiliation. If we need to send more officers to Akwatia, we must do that. If we need to send 5,000 police officers to Akwatia to achieve this, let us do that,” he concludes.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
