Government has established a three-member commission to inquire into the violence that marred last Thursday’s by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in Accra.

Former Commissioner for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Francis Emile Short, chairs the Commission which also includes law professor, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and former Inspector-General of Police, Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong.

Private legal practitioner and former Dean of the GIMPA Law School, Dr. Ernest Kofi Abotsi, has also been appointed as Secretary to the Commission, according to a statement issued and signed Wednesday, by Director of Communications for the Presidency, Eugene Arhin. 

The statement said the Commission was set up by Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, with the consent of President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is out of the country.

The term of reference of the Commission are:

 (a) to make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to, the events and associated violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election on the 31st day of January 2019;

(b) to identify any person responsible for or who has been involved in the events, associated violence and injuries;

(c) to inquire into any matter which the Commission considers incidental or reasonably related to the causes of the events and the associated violence and injuries; and

(d) to submit within one month its report to the President giving reasons for its findings and recommendations, including appropriate sanctions, if any,” the statement explained.

Expanded committee

The Police Administration on Tuesday said it has expanded a committee to investigate the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election shooting incident.

The investigations, police say, will cover the professional and criminal conduct of those involved in the incident.

Read also: Police ‘expand’ committee to investigate Ayawaso by-election shooting

On the day of the election, several masked men purportedly from the National Security Council drove in police armoured vehicles to a polling centre at La Bawaleshie and assaulted and shot at some supporters of Delali Brempong, the candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress.

Six persons were critically injured and several sustained minor injuries. The NDC MP for Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam George, was captured in a video circulated on social media being assaulted by one of the members of the supposed security force who are not members of the Ghana Police Service.

The opposition party subsequently pulled out of the election as a result of the violence. 

The governing New Patriotic Party’s candidate, Lydia Alhassan won the polls with over 60% of votes cast despite a record low voter turnout of about 19%.