A political science lecturer at the University of Ghana is asking the president Nana Akufo-Addo to openly condemn the state of violent takeovers by alleged supporters of the governing party.
Prof. Ransford Gyampo said a public condemnation will send a clear signal to the supporters that the election victory was only a change in government and not an overthrow of government.
He was commenting on the violent attacks on opponents of the NDC and other public institutions across the country.
Shortly after the Electoral Commission declared Nana Akufo-Addo winner of the 2016 election on December 9, 2016, there has been a democratisation of violence across the country.
The violence has seen supporters, said to be with the NPP attacking public institutions like NADMO, Youth Employment Agency, NHIS offices across the country.
The supporters claim those offices have been filled with supporters of the NDC and they want them out.
There have also been attacks on public toilets, toll booths, all across the country with the assailants seeking to take over the running of those installations.
There have been injuries and damages to properties, a sad repeat of what happened in 2008 when the NPP lost power to the NDC.
There have been some arrests by the police and in some of the cases.
What has been missing, however, is a comment from the president, who was eloquent in his criticisms of government in the face of the violent attacks on his supporters by the then ruling government.
Speaking at a pre-election peace treaty the then candidate Akufo-Addo condemned the attacks as well the president for their loud silence and failure by the police to arrest the perpetrators.
Several days after been sworn in, the president has remained quiet even though reports of the attacks have gone from bad to worse.
A woman was battered by an assailant who wants to take over the management of the public toilet. She lost two of her teeth as a result.
Speaking to Joy News on the matter Prof Gyampo said the attacks are signs of the winner takes all syndrome in Ghana’s politics.
He said party supporters misinterpret the formula of winner takes all as a license to take over any time their party wins power.
Prof Gyampo said such attacks destroy the cohesion of the country and the earlier the president comments on it the better.
He stated it may well be that some opponents of the NPP will indulge in such violent attacks just to make the government look good and the president must condemn such attacks in no uncertain terms.
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