NDC Members Demonstrate At BNI Offices

Leaders and a large gathering of supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday converged in front of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to show solidarity with former President Jerry John Rawlings who had been invited for questioning in connection with a recent statement he made in Kumasi.

The party functionaries had massed up near the BNI offices apparently dissatisfied with another invitation to the former President after he made two appearances there on Monday.

The large crowd created a traffic jam on the 37 Military Hospital Kawokudi traffic intersection portion of the Achimota road chanting songs in honour of Flt Lt Rawlings.

Concerns were also expressed about the dangers posed by the crowd at a national intelligence centre and the fears that any clash between the party supporters and the security personnel could result in bloodshed.

Security personnel and party leaders had a hectic time shepherding the former President out of the premises of the BNI as the crowd would not allow him to leave.

When former President Rawlings made the attempt to talk to some journalists while in his saloon car, the crowd besieged the car forcing a retreat by the former President.

But Flt Lt Rawlings managed to tell the journalists that it was “a normal chit-chat with the panel”.

He denied that he was asked to sign a bond to be of good behaviour.

“It was a normal chat,” he stressed.

The General Secretary of the NDC, Dr Josiah Aryeh told journalists that a team of lawyers including Nii Okaija Adamafio, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni and himself, decided to accompany the former President but they were denied entry. He said they drew the attention of the intelligence officers to the fact that the former President Rawlings was entitled to counsel, but the officers rejected the request saying that they were not going to interrogate him nor take a statement from him.

He said Flt Lt Rawlings then asked his counsel not to worry and he went to meet the panel.

Dr Aryeh said the government was raising the political temperature unnecessarily and called on it to stop it.

The Director of Communications of the NDC, Mr John Mahama said at a press conference by the party yesterday, it was decided that the leadership of the party follow up to the BNI offices to find out why another invitation had been extended to the former President.

He made it clear that the response of the party supporters was not stage-managed but they went to the BNI offices on their own accord.