More groups to join 2nd demo against voters’ register

More pressure groups have pledged support for the recently held mass action aimed at persuading the Electoral Commission to replace Ghana’s voters’ register.

Led by anti-government pressure group Let My Vote Count Alliance, the march ended abruptly after police disagreed with some of the participants over their routes.

The ensuing altercation resulted in the firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons by the police.

An investigation by the top hierarchy of the Ghana Police Service is said to be underway after President John Dramani Mahama as well as opposition leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo condemned the action of the officers on duty.

The organizers have also initiated legal action against the police after one of the protesters lost an eye from a bullet while several were arrested.

In a statement issued on Monday, September 21, another pressure group Concerned Ghanaians says it will be part of the second demonstration slated for Tuesday, September 29.

“We love this country to a fault that we are willing to sacrifice life and limb to protect the foundation of our democracy,” the statement said, adding: “We shall be relentless in the demand for a new and credible voters register and we shall resist oppression with fearless honesty.”

LMVC was joined last Wednesday by the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), Movement for Democratic Change and a number of opposition parties including the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the demonstration.