The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has cautioned the Ghana Police Service and its leader, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, against the use of masked police officers in the Akwatia parliamentary by-election.

Speaking to the media while campaigning in Akwatia, Salam Mustapha said that his party would treat any policeman found in a mask as a thug.

He claimed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) plans to use thugs to intimidate voters during the election, but his party would not allow that to happen.

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“We are sounding this caution that we do not want to see masked police men – masked people, or masked police officers – we don’t want to see any, and this goes to the IGP. I have already put this out. We don’t want to see masked police personnel; every police officer must have their name tag, and we should see the face of the person.

“Otherwise, we’ll treat the person as a thug. The NDC is organising to bring thugs. There will be a showdown here, because we are not here for an experiment… We will not allow people to come and play with our lives, not at all,” he said.

The NPP National Youth Organiser reiterated that even though his party wants a peaceful election, its members would be forced to defend themselves if they are attacked.

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“I want a peaceful election. I have come to meet a peaceful society. I want to finish and go and leave a peaceful society. But if some bad people are planning that for them to win, they have to come and engage in voter suppression tactics, they want to come and misbehave, we will not allow it. Nobody will. So, we are also here in our full force, and by the grace of God, if they want a showdown, we are ready for a showdown,” he said.

BAI/VPO

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