Collins Dauda charged

Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South Constituency, Collins Dauda, has been provisionally charged with abetment of crime.

This follows an invitation extended to him by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to assist in the investigation of allegations levelled against him by one Kenneth Donkor at Kenyasi.

He was said to have hired ‘macho’ men to assault the complainant during the limited voter registration exercise that took place at Kenyasi in the Asutifi South District on Friday, September 21, 2018.

The Asutifi South Constituency in the region has been one of the hotspots for political violence for many years, and the MP recently was said to have ‘caused’ commotion at the centre at Kenyasi in the Asutifi South District.

Director-General in charge of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), David Eklu told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that Mr Dauda reported yesterday after receiving the invitation to investigate the alleged violent attack.

He said two persons believed to be the MP’s ‘boys’, who have been arrested by the Brong Ahafo Police, would soon be arraigned.

At the CID headquarters yesterday, Mr Dauda was interrogated for close to three hours after which he gave his statement to the police.

The police chief revealed that the MP was later admitted to a self-recognizance bail by the police.



Speaker’s Concerns Share

Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, on Tuesday expressed his dissatisfaction with the aggressive manner in which police besieged the residence of the MP to arrest him.

He said the police must respect the privileges of MPs and approach his office before they carry out such action.

“We want to inform and repeat that the privileges of this honourable House have been clearly set out in the Constitution of Ghana. It applies to all members,” Prof Ocquaye said briefly after news broke that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had ordered the arrest of the MP.

Prof. Mike Ocquaye added “the early morning search conducted in the residences of the MP in his constituency, as well as that in Accra was done in a manner that honourable members felt were not in consonance in parliamentary privileges.”

However, ACP David Eklu, in a response, said the police had taken note of the concerns of the speaker of parliament and would re-examine the case to avert future incidents.

He said the police would also assess the privileges of members of parliament in order to properly handle legislators in the investigation of criminal cases.

DAILY GUIDE’s sources said the MP, as part of his duties, travelled to Kenyasi to monitor the ongoing limited registration exercise, which was being carried out by the Electoral Commission (EC) for both Asutifi South and Asutifi North Constituencies.

They claimed upon reaching the centre, he allegedly became incensed that an agent of the NPP had filled a challenge form to challenge the eligibility of an NDC member.

The MP went back home and reportedly returned on Saturday to complain that he was being ‘cheated’ and started causing confusion with his ‘boys.’

He allegedly returned on Sunday in smock and sang war songs with his boys.

In the melee, one of his ‘thugs’ gave a hefty slap to a sympathizer of the NPP called Boozing, who sustained injuries and was admitted to the Goaso Government Hospital.