Minority Members on the Local Government and Rural Development Committee of Parliament have charged the President to order re-run of all the ‘disgraceful voting’ in districts and municipals where known assembly members were prevented from exercising their constitutional mandate.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, they said, must respect the will of the people and stop imposing MMDCE nominees who have been twice rejected by Assembly Members.
The side also called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate all reported cases of abuse of the processes, assaults, intimidations, threats and physical manhandling of assembly members and MPs in the reported MMDAs and take disciplinary actions.
According to the Minority, this is needed to prevent further deterioration of the confidence of the people in the security agencies and erase the impression of officers being used as tools for oppression and subjugation.
The Minority made the call on Tuesday at a news conference in Parliament addressed by the Ranking Member, Nii Lante Vanderpuye on the approval processes of the President’s nominees for MMDCEs.
He warned that the very disturbing phenomenon and incidents that have characterized the processes if not condemned could throw the country and its cherished democracy into anarchy and chaos.
“Acts of violence, brutalisation, intimidation and abuse of the procedures and processes by government officials, agents and in some cases with connivance of some local, public and civil servants who are supposed to be A-political in all the activities,” he said.
According to him, after the eight-month delay and the supposed consultations, the rejection of the President’s nominees is an indication of the rejection of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government in the 2020 elections, which is still in power through machinations.
Ghanaians, the Minority members said, should be concerned about what happened in Assin South, Bibiani Anhwiaso, Bekwai, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Suaman, Awutu Senya West, Cape Coast Municipal, Kumawu and other places.
Mr Nii Lante disclosed that heavy deployment of police characterized the processes in these districts during which some assembly members, including MPs were either prevented from participating or were assaulted.
“Nominees and the Coordinating Directors used crooked, unscrupulous and undignified deception to prevent many members of the Assembly from voting.
“Disgracefully and shamelessly, these people connived with the EC and changed venues, times and days of proposed second voting.
“Such despicable and antiquated act cannot be accepted in this day and age in democratic Ghana. It’s an insult, dent and a repugnant smell on our democratic,” he said.
The NDC, he said, have very deep appreciation of the Local Governance system and believe it is the catalyst for the overall development of the country.
The party, he said, would therefore do all it can to protect the respect and dignity of the Local Governance system from cunning usurpers of the dominant role it is supposed to play in the national development agenda.
He lamented that today in Ghana, people worse than the despots and dictators who have strewn the geo-political scenes of the world hiding under the clothes of Ghana’s democratic credentials and slowly eating away the marrow in the spine of the country’s democracy.
The Minority, he said, condemns in no uncertain terms, actions of people who are only “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and stressed they will continue to protect the sanctity of Ghana’s democracy and decentralization system.
