The Concerned Youth of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region, has called on the leadership of the party to sanction those behind the violence that erupted during the polling station election.
They said their actions sought to undermine the peace, harmony and unity in the party which must not be “swept under the carpet” to serve as deterrent to other members and supporters of the party.
“We have evidence Bernard Jantuah, who has declared his intentions of contesting for the chairmanship position in the area and others are behind the disturbances that erupted during the polling station election,” the youth alleged.
At a press conference held in Kumasi on Tuesday, Nana Boakye Dankwah, spokesperson for the group, alleged that Mr Jantuah was the brain behind recent acts of violence in the area during the conduct of the polling station election and indicated that investigation by the group revealed the thugs were working on instruction of aspiring constituency chairman, whose intention was to cause mayhem and disrupt the peaceful conduct of the party’s internal election.
Attempts by the reporter to contact Mr Jantuah for his side of the story proved futile as his mobile phone indicated he could not be reached.
Mr Dankwah appealed for peace, harmony, cohesion and unity in the constituency to help Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Member of Parliament for the area, who is also the Minister of Works and Housing, effectively and efficiently deliver on his mandate towards unprecedented progress, growth and development.
According to Mr Dankwah, “on February 25, 2022, when constituency executives were at the party office sorting out papers for Polling Station Executives and Electoral Area Coordinators elections could go on the next day (Saturday), some coordinators, who were known to be doing the bidding of MrJantuah stormed the party office with some thugs and disrupted the activity.
“It took the intervention of the police to bring the situation under control, even though some members and supporters of the party sustained various injuries which we find to be unfortunate and unacceptable and during the conduct of the election at Adoato Electoral Area, the same armed men attacked the constituency executive who was supervising the election, and bolted with several electoral materials meant for conduct of election in other polling stations,” Mr Dankwah alleged.
FROM TIMES REPORTER, KUMASI
