There was confusion in the house of the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at Nima in Accra yesterday when some participants in a health walk organised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) allegedly pelted the house with stones.
The confusion deepened when some security men at Nana Akufo-Addo’s residence fired warning shots to ward off the NDC supporters.
But the police were on hand to prevent the situation from degenerating into a fight between supporters of the two parties.
Supporters of the two parties engaged in accusations and counter-accusations as to which side ignited the tension.
Supporters of the NPP told the Daily Graphic that NDC supporters, who were on a keep-fit walk along the Nima road, threw stones into Nana Akufo-Addo’s house which is opposite the Nima Police Station, a situation which prompted Nana Akufo-Addo’s security detail to fire warning shots to ward off the perpetrators of the stone throwing.
But NDC supporters told the Daily Graphic that a motor rider wearing an NDC T-shirt was confronted by the security men at Nana Akufo-Addo’s residence for doing a turn on the road in front of the gate of the house.
They said when other NDC supporters surged forward to support their party member, they heard warning shots from Nana Akufo-Addo’s residence.
Police version
Briefing journalists on the incident, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Timothy Bonga, said it was alleged that some NDC supporters had thrown stones into Nana Akufo-Addo’s house and the security men in the house responded by allegedly firing warning shots.
Mr Bonga said although there had been tension, there was no clash between the supporters of the NDC and the NPP.
He said the security men at Nana Akufo-Addo’s house did not permit the police to enter the place to establish the facts about the stone throwing.
However, he said the police would continue to investigate the case to establish what really happened.
At the time of filing this report, the police had not made any arrests.
Meanwhile, the Greater Regional Chairman of the NDC has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to bring to book persons who caused confusion around the Nima Police Station Junction on Sunday between supporters of the NDC and the NPP, writes Joe Okyere.
Mr Joseph Ade Coker said members of the NDC who were on a health walk yesterday from Nungua through the Nima Highway towards Accra East as part of its campaign were attacked by a group suspected to have come from the residence of the flag bearer of the NPP.
He said the procession went through the approved route until it got to the Nima Junction where the hoodlums blocked the road and attacked the NDC supporters.
He said the NDC had pictures of the perpetrators of the attacks wielding guns in front of the headquarters of the NPP and said that was enough evidence for the security to handle the situation.
Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday in reaction to the alleged attack by the NPP supporters, the NDC regional chairman described the claims as lies and called on the NPP to prove what it claimed was an attack on Nana Akufo-Addo’s residence.
Mr Coker said the NDC had been campaigning for peace and had never attacked any party’s supporters during its campaigns.
He called on the National Security to monitor the activities of the NPP to nip in the bud machinations by the party to undermine the security of the country.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, who underscored the need for peace, said he would work towards ensuring that all residents of the region were protected at all times, irrespective of their political affiliation.
He called on the supporters of the NDC to remain calm during their campaign in the run-up to the elections.
NPP
In a related development, the NPP has condemned the attack on Nana Akufo-Addo’s residence yesterday.
It has also called on the National Peace Council, the Christian Council of Ghana and all civil society organisations to condemn the attack, writes Victor Kwawukume.
Describing the attack as provocative, a statement signed by the Communications Director of the party, Nana Akomea, said “the NPP condemns the attack in the strongest possible terms”.
It said early yesterday morning, a large crowd of NDC supporters, led by Ako Gunn, one of the Muntie Trio who were recently pardoned by President John Dramani Mahama after being jailed for threatening to rape and murder the Chief Justice, massed up in front of Nana Akufo-Addo’s house and violently attacked the security detail outside the house.
But for the speedy intervention of the police, it said, things would have been chaotic.
“We thank the police for their speedy and invaluable intervention,” it added.
Creating an environment of fear
The NPP averred that the motive for the act was not in doubt, saying “the NDC was clearly there for one reason and one reason only — to assault NPP supporters and create an environment of fear in Ghana, 24 days to the elections”.
The action, it said, was premeditated and unquestionably violent.
“Amassing NDC supporters outside the NPP flag bearer’s house is part of a broad range of calculated, violent and provocative acts designed to bait the NPP into responding in similar fashion,” it said.
The NPP described the behaviour as a threat to the integrity of the country’s democracy and ought not to be tolerated.
John Mahama 2016 Campaign
Meanwhile, the John Mahama 2016 Campaign has expressed concern over the developments which occurred during a well–patronised health walk organised by the NDC yesterday.
A statement issued by the campaign in Accra and signed by its Spokesperson, Ms Joyce Bawah Mogtari, said the sad developments, which were occasioned by an unprovoked attack followed by sporadic gunshots by identified hooligans from the Nima residence of Nana Akufo-Addo and thankfully, without any reactions whatsoever from NDC supporters, had now been twisted by the opposition party and its media partners, CitiFM and JoyFM.
The statement said records available, including photographs posted to the website of StarrFM, www.starrfmonline.com, confirmed that “it is the identified thugs from Nana Addo’s residence that were wielding various types of weapons and firing them.”
“The rush to issue statements, and together with their media partners circulate a false claim that supporters of the NDC wanted to attack the residence of the NPP flag bearer, is clearly a failed attempt to hoodwink the public and the international community after photographs of their gun-wielding thugs appeared on both social and new media platforms.
“No NDC supporter and participant in Sunday’s health walk wanted to enter, let alone attack the Nima residence. It is also instructive to state that the police had cordoned off the property,” the statement added.
It challenged JoyFM and CitiFM to provide the evidence they gathered that “our supporters did anything close to what they reported”.
It gave an assurance that the NDC and its candidate would continue to conduct a peaceful, calm and issues-based campaign and challenged “Nana Addo to disarm the thousands of young people called Invincible Forces he recruited and trained and whose principal mission is to always cause mayhem and violence”.
“The available photographs from his residence should be a cause for worry to all peace-loving Ghanaians and others interested in the political stability of our country,” it added.
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