Akufo-Addo, NPP using police to intimidate us – Anti-new register group

The Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voter Register (IPRAN) has accused the ruling government of using the Ghana Police Service to intimidate its members.

The group made the accusation on the back of the invitation to Mr Bernard Mornah, a leading member of the group.

“We are appalled by the decision of the CID to kowtow to the whims and caprice of some individuals who have been irked by not just the spirited resistance of Comrade Bernard Mornah in particular but by the Coalition as a whole. 

“The Coalition knows that this is a calculated attempt by the Government through the Police to intimidate and cow the Coalition into submission on the heated matter of the compilation of a new voters’ register ahead of the 2020 elections,” the coalition noted in a statement.

IPRAN, which is challenging the Electoral Commission‘s decision to compile a new voter roll said in a statement that it feels motivated by the development and that will “scale up the continuous resistance in the interest of free, fair, credible and transparent electoral process in 2020 and beyond.”

Mr Mornah is being questioned by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), after he made some comments during a press conference earlier this week.

Mornah reacts

Reacting to the development, Mr Mornah told Accra-based Citi FM that he will honour the invitation.

He, however, explained that his comments were without malice.

“I have said that if the Electoral Commission is intending to lead us through this dangerous path, they should know that there will be confusion…It is a caution. If caution becomes threats, I will not run away from it,” he stated.

“A caution cannot represent a threat but if they take it as a threat then, I may have to bring my English teacher to tell them that cautions are not threats,” he added.

He further emphasized his view that the Electoral Commission’s posturing concerning the compilation of the new voters’ register must not be condoned.

He said the EC’s decision must be “resisted”.

“The EC is slitting our democracy and we must do everything to resist it and we will resist it.”

“There is nothing that will allow you to sit down and allow this EC to slit our democracy away from the peace and stability that we have enjoyed so when we are telling them and alerting them that their actions can lead us unto a perilous path and you say we are threatening, I don’t know. I will visit the CID,” he noted.

Boakye-Djan charged; Obiri Boahen faces CID

A similar invitation was extended to National Democratic Congress stalwart Maj. (Rtd) Boakye-Djan and the Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Obiri Boahen.

The two are facing the CID for making similar pronouncement on Accra-based Okay FM. Both have honoured the invitation.

Voter Register Controversy

An attempt by the EC to compile a new voter register has been met with fierce opposition.

Led by the National Democratic Congress, the Inter Party Resistance Against the New Voter Register (IPRAN), said the decision by the Commission is needless. Other Civil Society Organizations are on the same page with the group.

Despite the resistance, the EC announced earlier this week that it will start the registration exercise in June. About 33,000 registration centers have been earmarked for the exercise.

By Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH