The Electoral Commission wants the law to deal with thugs believed to be supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), who ransacked its office at Suhum in the Eastern Region.
The thugs allegedly destroyed the equipment belonging the EC in the ongoing voter transfer exercise, forcing the Commission to suspend the exercise in the area.
The thugs were said to have initiated the attack following an EC officer’s resolve not to transfer the vote of some of the voters, who could not identify themselves as required by the process.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Director of Communications at the EC, Eric Dzakpasu, condemned the act, describing it as criminality.
He said the perpetrators must be punished without fear or favour.
“Whether it is in the realm of politics or not people must be punished, law enforcement must work. Because the EC is not empowered to do anything beyond reporting to the appropriate authorities about this incident and some of these incidents happen and some of the security services know. In the case of Suhum, my colleague indicated that the people who perpetuated this act are well known in the community. They are known to the police and those around so why should be allowed to go free?”
“What we are witnessing at some of these offices are now acts of criminality and ones they are acts of criminality; I think law enforcement must come to play otherwise all that would be witnessed would be impunity. The EC officer certainly went to the Police to lodge a complaint and that should be enough as a way of pressing for charges; and if a criminal comes to accept his criminality and apologizes I think in law, the appropriate sanctions must be applied especially where the people have come forward to accept criminality,” Mr. Dzakpasu added.
NDC takes responsibility for destruction
Meanwhile the Suhum Constituency of the NDC have reportedly accepted responsibility for perpetuating the attacks and has apologized accordingly.
Kukuom confusion
The scuffle follows a similar incident which happened in Kukuom in the Asunafo South District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
There were clashes between members of the NDC and the NPP, who accused each other of manipulating the voter transfer exercise in the constituency for their gain.
The exercise there has since been suspended.
In Ghana, criminal acts committed by political party activists largely go unpunished, particularly acts committed by persons affiliated to the party in power.
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