New Patriotic Party (NPP) members in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region have assured the Deputy Regional Minister, Eric Opoku, that they are not the least perturbed about the intimidation and harassment being meted out to them in the district.
They said they shall continue to protect their rights in the courts no matter what happened and take solace in the fact that 2012 is not too far away.
They have also described as unfortunate the support Sankore Manhene is giving to Mr Opoku, through all the intimidation assaults on NPP members in the area alleging that he (Mr Opoku) had been promised a Pick-Up vehicle by the Deputy Regional Minister.
Speaking to TODAY in a telephone conversation, the NPP Constituency Chairman, Anthony Badu, alleged that Mr Opoku in his bid to intimidate and instill fear in the NPP supporters in the constituency had resorted to not only police, but military arrests of his boys some of whom had been remanded by the Fiapre court.
He said the NDC youth who caused the violence and are still causing trouble in the area are walking around freely while the NPP youth are rather being persecuted.
“Everyday NPP members are being sought for by not even policemen but rather military men. Now they have arrested 10 NPP supporters and three of them are on remand for charges they do not even know anything about”, the chairman lamented.
“There is a Ga young man here called Nii Loko who is on the police wanted list for about 5 assault cases, but he is always roaming on the streets and homes of NPP supporters leading the military men and directing them as to whom they should arrest, but the police cannot arrest him”, he added.
Mr Badu Boateng noted that just like the minority MPs said during their press conference, several charges have been preferred against NDC supporters at the Sankore Police Criminal Investigation Department but they are always parading the streets (as if the law is rather under them) with the notion that they cannot be arrested.
He said the police in the district had been so pressured to ignore charges against NDC supporters to the extent that 2 of them had sought for transfers outside the district.
He called on the District Police to also arrest and prosecute the NDC men whose charges have filled their offices, this according to the chairman, would show how independent and neutral the police is in the area.
He also called on President Mills to bring the Deputy Minister to order and stop him from embarrassing him and the NDC with his lawlessness.
FROM JAMES APPIAKORANG JNR., KUMASI
