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Rawlings: Deployment of military in Volta, Oti generating animosity

Former President Jerry Rawlings has observed that the deployment of the military in the Volta and Oti Region ahead of the compilation of a new voters’ register is generating animosity and suspicion.

He noted that while it was important to protect the integrity of the registration exercise, it must be done in a fair and just manner.

In a statement signed and issued by the Office of the Former President Jerry John Rawlings, it said the presence of the military and other security agencies in some parts of the Volta and Oti regions was generating animosity especially amongst innocent citizens whose basic way of life was being disrupted.

It said the deployment along the borders at peacetime especially at the particular point in time had created much suspicion and animosity and called for a lot of intelligent flexibility and diligence.

 “Ahead of the voter registration exercise and the December elections, it is important that we demonstrate a sense of fairness and justice to all individuals and groups of people whilst maintaining the integrity and the sanctity of the processes,” the statement said.

Relatedly, Former President John Mahama has also condemned the deployment ahead of the registration exercise and described the action as part of a grand scheme to disenfranchise some Ghanaians in the upcoming polls.

In a statement signed and issued he said he had sufficient reason to believe there was merit in concerns raised by residents of the two regions which represented another unprecedented low in shameless abuse of state power to attack the citizenry whose safety and security the Akufo-Addo-led administration should be protecting.

“It is becoming evident by the day, that the Akufo-Addo-led administration perceives political power as an end in itself hence resort to such crude and high-handed measures to usurp mandate of the citizenry, to send troops into regions in times of peace for sole purpose of preventing them from registration amounts to declaring war on them.

“Any president sanctioning this sort of activity stands in breach of his oath to the citizenry and any president doing this commits grave sin against the people he swore to protect,” the statement said. -starrfmonline.com

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