Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice President, Alex Segbefia, says the government will thoroughly investigate a petition submitted by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) alleging intimidation of its members by state agencies.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on Tuesday, September 23, Mr Segbefia confirmed that the petition, presented during the NPP’s protest march to Jubilee House, had been received and would be subjected to due process.

“We will put it before the appropriate group or persons and ascertain the veracity or otherwise of all the issues in there, and then we’ll deal with the matters appropriately in terms of a response,” he said.

His remarks come after the party filed petitions with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday during a demonstration against what they described as the government’s use of State institutions to intimidate and abuse opposition members.

The protest, known as 'Yɛn Suro Ahunahuna', was organised by the NPP’s National Youth wing under Salam Mustapha, the party’s National Youth Organiser.

Asked how soon a response could be expected, Mr Segbefia noted that the process could take time, given the complexity of the claims.

“They should expect some account of the fact that it’s not one issue that is being looked at. There are a number of issues raised in the petition, all on different dates and times. These have to be looked into and then responded to appropriately,” he explained.

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Mr Segbefia refrained from commenting on the specifics of the NPP’s allegations but stressed the importance of allowing investigations to proceed.

“To every story, there are two sides, and they’ve given a raft of examples. Let’s find out what the other side is… where some of it is not accurate, we’ll bring the accurate position as we understand it,” he stated.

He added that because the allegations involved security agencies, those institutions would also have to review the petition and provide input.

Mr Segbefia, however, commended the NPP for submitting the petition peacefully.

“What is beautiful is that they were able to come and give us the petition here in the Flagstaff House. I think it is a deviation from what normally used to happen in the past,” he said.