Ohene Agyekum clarifies statement he made at rally

Kumasi, Dec. 4, GNA - Mr Daniel Ohene Agyekum, a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has denied saying that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not win Election 2004 there would be trouble in the country.

He explained that what he said at the NDC rally at Bantama, which was addressed by the Former President Jerry John Rawlings last Tuesday was that, if the NPP rigged the elections or did not ensure that the elections were free, fair and transparent, it could lead to trouble.

He likened what he said to what was happening in the Ukraine, where supporters of the opposition rejected the results of the elections and took to the streets, forcing that country's Parliament to nullify the results of the elections.

Mr Ohene Agyekum was speaking at a press conference organized by the Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the NDC to put forward its apprehensions about the elections in Kumasi on Friday.

The Former Ashanti Regional Minister said the NPP when it was in opposition called for transparent ballot boxes, the erection of scoreboards in all the regional capitals and in Accra, which were all done.

He said, however, now that the NPP was in power and as at the time of holding the press conference, there was no sign of a scoreboard being erected at the Jackson's Park or in any of the regional capitals.

This, according to Mr Ohene Agyekum, did not show transparency and questioned why the Government was refusing to erect the scoreboard. He also mentioned the existence of the so-called party police, saying that reports from the constituencies indicated the presence of strangers.