NDC,NPP voiltateed Public Order Act

Page 3,lead, (Daily Graphic), January 1/2009

Story: Charles Benoni Okine

The Police Administration has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of violating the Public Order Law by engaging in mass public activities and converging on the offices of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Last Tuesday, supporters of the NDC converged on the Electoral Commission to demonstrate against what they termed as delays in declaring the winner of the presidential run-off between their candidate, Professor J.E.A. Mills, and the candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo.
As if to undo the demonstrations of the NDC supporters, the following day (Wednesday, i.e. yesterday) hundreds of NPP supporters also held a similar demonstration at the Electoral Commission to protest the results released by the commission, which put the NDC flag bearer, Prof. Atta Mills, in the lead.
During the NPP’s demonstration yesterday, the Greater Accra Regional Operations Commander, ACP Yohonu, was hit with a stone and rushed to the Police Hospital, where he was admitted.
Commenting on the issue later, the Director of Police Public Affairs, Kwesi Ofori, warned that henceforth the police would deal firmly with all such illegal gatherings and disorder, irrespective of which political party was involved.
He warned the political parties not to turn restricted areas such as the Electoral Commission’s offices into playing fields.
According to the Police Administration, the only people allowed on the premises of the EC were accredited officials with legitimate business to do there.
The police would deal firmly with any group of people who were bent on breaking the laws on public order, Mr Kwasi Ofori of Police Public Affairs Directorate stressed.
During the demonstration, hundreds of supporters of the NPP thronged the premises of the EC to protest against what they perceived as false results released by the commission in favour of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to them, the EC had handed the NPP a raw deal by allegedly reducing the figures the party had from the Ashanti Region, its stronghold, in favour of the NDC.
Wielding clubs, sticks, machetes and stones, the supporters including women of all ages and clad in party colours with red bands around their arms and heads, surged at the heavy armed police demanding to enter the EC premises to ‘deal’ with the EC Chairman, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.
The NDC had the previous day also had their turn on the premises of the EC where they demanded that the EC Chairman should announce the elections without further delay.
Chanting wars songs, the placard-bearing supporters cast insinuations at the EC officials and the NDC, saying “we have won and we will not allow the NDC to rule when they have not won”.
Some of the placards read: “No Volta, No Tain”, “We want Peace”, “No Nana, No President”.
As they surged, the police prevented them and some recalcitrant supporters who would not listen to their leaders present, pelted stones at the police, a situation that forced the police to fire many warning shots.
In the ensuing scuffle, ACP Yohonu was injured as he was hit in the groin with a large stone.
More supporters of the NPP joined and the military had to come in to restore order.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh I.C. Quaye, came in to calm tempers but only a few of the agitated supporters listened to him and followed him to his residence.
The Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, also joined but his presence also did very little to get the supporters to retreat.
He asked the security forces to treat the supporters the same way they treated those of the NDC who also held their protests before the pronouncements from the chairman of the commission.
Speaking to the media, Dr Addo-Kufuor said “we are in government and we need to ensure that there is peace”.
“I will want to entreat all supporters to exercise restraint as we await the outcome of any results or negotiations thereof,” he added.
At the time of going to press, the supporters were still on the premises chanting and threatening to sleep over until the EC added all the figures from the Ashanti Region to give the party a win.