Eric Nana-Tekyi, Deputy Secretary of the Gallant Cadres of the National Democratic Congress, has expressed sorrow regarding the stampede that resulted in the loss of eight young lives at El Wak, where they were seeking recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

He characterized the actions of the GAF as 'reckless negligence', which depicts Ghana as a country that has woefully failed.

In a telephone conversation with DC Kwame Kwakye on GBC Radio Central on Thursday, November 13, 2025, Nana-Tekyi expressed dissatisfaction with the process, highlighting that, upon reviewing the viral videos capturing the incident, he faulted the GAF for reckless negligence stemming from inadequate preparation.

"It is deeply regrettable that Ghanaian youth lose their lives simply due to their passion to serve their country, he said, adding "this should not occur. It's highly avoidable and very unfortunate and regrettable", he stressed.

The Cadres Deputy Secretary lamented that, given the advancements in IT technology, it is utterly incomprehensible for such an incident to occur in the country. "The military was aware of the expected numbers," he stated, "but it appears the officers at the venue were woefully inadequate in maintaining discipline and order," he observed.

On the data of applicants, he noted that the GAF had prior knowledge of the numbers they expected. He rhetorically questioned why the GAF did not categorize the applicants into smaller groups with staggered reporting times for efficient crowd control and effective supervision?

Nana-Tekyi suggested, as a matter of urgency, that the government set up a committee to investigate and punish negligent officers for these needless deaths.

Regarding the actions of GAF, we consider it reckless negligence on the part of the organisers; the government should investigate the matter and impose penalties where necessary.

He emphasized that NDC cadres believed the government must devise innovative methods to compensate families who have lost relatives, including recruiting another family member to replace those who have died.

"Government must commiserate with the families who have lost their loved ones. We suggest that a family member from those who have deceased can be recruited to replace those who have died", he stressed.

In sum, Nana-Tekyi mentioned that it is rather unfortunate that the president's intention of decentralising the recruitment to give more youth the opportunity to apply more transparently has resulted in this tragedy. "We need to punish erring officers to prevent this from repeating itself in the future," he stated.