National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has stated that the party is warming up to the work of the Commission of Inquiry into the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.
“At the end of the day, whatever the commission is doing, I think, will be useful for the country and from the processes, we [NDC] think they are doing a good job and we have realised they are doing some good work,” he noted.
The revelation is in sharp contrast
to the party’s stance on the Justice Emile Short-led Commission when it was
formed a couple of weeks ago.
The NDC had vowed not to recognise the work of
the commission on grounds that the President had ruled the violence that marred
the by-election as an isolated incident.
“The position of the NDC is very simple,
the Emile Short Commission is a non-starter on the basis of its composition,
obvious political colouring, and the President’s own track record,” the
party said in a statement, signed by General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
“There is no way the commission of the
President’s favourites will come to any conclusions that contradict his prior
statements and the party will seek
justice for its members attacked by heavily armed national security operatives
at a polling station at La Bawaleshie outside the commission.
“We were not against the setting up of the commission, but we felt prosecution of attackers should take place while the commission also does its work, we had subsequently issued a statement as a result of victims of the party who suffered from the assault are free to go to the commission,” Mr Ampofo stressed.
At least six persons, all members of NDC, sustained gunshot wounds when armed personnel from the National Security apparatus stormed a polling station at La Bawaleshie during the by-election resulting in the assault of Sam George, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram by a national security operative.
It is not clear what prompted the firing of the guns, but the police have also launched their own investigation into the incident.
The Minister of State in charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong, has said the men were deployed as part of a special operation that was not related to the election;
however, they have been accused of being members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) affiliated vigilante group, known as Invincible Forces. –myjoyonline.com
