Minority demands prosecution over disruption of Ashanti Council of State election


 

The Minority in Parliament is calling for the immediate prosecution of individuals responsible for disrupting the election of the Ashanti Region’s representative to the Council of State.

The election, which took place on Tuesday, February 12, was marred by violence when unidentified thugs stormed the venue and destroyed electoral materials, halting the process.

Addressing journalists in Parliament, the Ashanti Regional MPs caucus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) strongly opposed any move to rerun the election, arguing that a presumptive winner had already been identified before the disruption occurred.

NPP MP for Mampong, Kwaku Ampratwum Saa Sarpong, condemned the incident, describing it as a direct attack on democracy.

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"I stand before you today with a deep sense of duty and outrage over the violent and disgraceful events that unfolded on [Tuesday] at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. During the counting of ballots for the Ashanti Regional representative to the Council of State, known NDC thugs stormed the counting centre, seized the ballot box, and disrupted the process in a desperate attempt to subvert democracy," he stated.

He emphasised that the Ashanti Region has long been a stronghold of democracy and good governance in Ghana and warned against any attempt to erode those values through violence and lawlessness.

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"We will not allow the reckless actions of a few individuals to tarnish our democratic credentials. We send the Mahama administration a strong and clear message: the Ashanti Region will not bow. We will resist any attempt to undermine democracy through violence," he added.

He further called on civil society organisations, traditional leaders, religious bodies, and the media to speak out against the incident and demand accountability.

"We refuse to be silent. We refuse to be intimidated. Democracy must prevail," he noted.



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