Today’s bye-election at the Chereponi Constituency in the Northern Region provides a litmus test for the State Security apparatus. As usual, it is another platform of NDC-NPP dog-fight over which one of them gains legitimate control over the Chereponi Constituency.
While the incumbent NPP would be struggling to maintain its hold, it is a test of popularity of NDC’s policies over the last nine months. Perhaps that explains why the two parties have virtually invaded Chereponi in numbers with NDC being represented by a high-profiled personalities led by the Vice President, John Dramani Mahama.
It becomes much dicey checking from the background that the reported cases of terror and other disturbances are being perpetuated by some security operatives, some of who are themselves deeply involved in suspected rigging acts in today’s bye-election.
With barely 48 hours to the election-last Sunday, there were acts of terror being unleashed by the sponsored elements on people who they consider as opponents at Chereponi. The terror, insiders have hinted are engaging in the acts to cow supporters of opposing candidates from voting today.
It is one of the many instructions that they are expected to carry out today. A teaser of that is what was virtually “rehearsed” on Sunday. But other political groups competing in today’s bye-election, who got wind of the actions of the hired security elements through TODAY’s story yesterday, are said to be high on the alert; preparing to meet the “Chereponi hackers” boot for boot.
As the paper reported yesterday, there is grand plot by some sponsored elements within the State Security to destroy ballot papers of opposing candidates in order to boost the chances of their preferred candidate in today’s bye-election.
The plot, as the paper discovered was hatched at the Hamdallah Hotel, a facility owned by a known NDC activist in Tamale.
The said operators have in their possession a black cream carefully sealed in a white container with a green cover where they are expected to use to thump print again the thump printed ballot during the sorting out period of the ballot papers.
Normally, the ballot papers are sorted out before counting; and that is the time that the ‘hired ballot destroyers’ are expected to prevail.
Credible information suggest that the ‘Chereponi bye-election hackers’ are expected to vote in today’s election and although they are not indigenes or residents of Chereponi, they have been issued with voter’s ID cards that bear Northern names.
They will be among the first batch of voters. With the rather lukewarm attitude and slow pace in bye-elections, the reason for the early voting by the intruders is that their presence at the polling centres is not likely to draw any suspicion amongst residents of the area.
‘By that they would have succeeded in pulling a fast one on some of the legitimate voters whose names might have been used by the coupists”, a source disclosed.
On Sunday, Chereponi witnessed the kind of terror likely to be unleashed by the Security terror squad. TODAY gathered that there were some gunshots which resulted in five people injured. That action TODAY is reliably informed was carried out by a member of the security group who is known by colleagues as “Osofo”.
Although the said assailant was apprehended by the police, information suggest he was released upon instruction from “above.”
