Ashanti NPP urges public vigilance on Election Day

The Security Committee of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ashanti has urged the public to be vigilant to assist in protecting ballot boxes on voting day.

They should not only complement the work of the security agencies but share in the responsibility of providing a peaceful atmosphere for all eligible voters to cast their ballot without fear, intimidation or harassment.

Colonel Ababio Serebuor (Retired), Chairman of the Committee, was addressing a press conference in Kumasi to express his party’s discomfort with what he said was an evil plot by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to cause confusion and scare away voters.

He alleged that the ruling party was stockpiling arms and ammunitions in the region for distribution to other parts of the country seen as strongholds of the NPP.

He claimed one Gangya, an NDC stalwart, had recruited ex-fighters in Sierra Leone to train thugs at Tobiase near Bawjiase in the Central Region to unleash mayhem on December 7.

Added to this, was also the reported buying of voter Identification cards in Ashanti, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper West and East Regions to disenfranchise their owners. He alleged the cards are being bought at GH¢400.00.

Col Serebour also alleged a deliberate plot to cause nationwide black out on the Election Day at 1900 hours during the collation of the ballots.

He said the Committee would bring the intelligence information it had picked to the attention of the security agencies, the regional security committee, the National Peace Council (NPC) and all other key stakeholders.

He called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to act swiftly to stop the devious scheme by the NDC to put some of its thugs in police uniform and send them out to the polling centres. He asked that all political parties should be furnished with the names and units of personnel who would be deployed at the polling centres, adding that, their service numbers, names and rank must be displayed boldly for easy identification.

He called on the electorate to be bold and to go out in their numbers to vote on polling day.