The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has sounded the alarm over a possible plot to infiltrate Tuesday’s Akwatia by-election with individuals posing as police officers.

Speaking on Channel One TV on Sunday, 31 August, he disclosed that intelligence gathered by the party suggested that some unidentified persons, allegedly from the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, were planning to disguise themselves in police uniforms to carry out unlawful acts during the polls.

“Security is not merely about men in uniform. I have reason to put out some of the information we are picking up and believe the police should act upon — that certain hoodlums from Greater Accra and Ashanti are preparing to wear police uniforms and undertake illegal operations. This has come to our attention, and we are drawing the police’s notice to it,” Mr Mustapha stated.

He further called on the Ghana Police Service to ensure that all personnel deployed on election duty are clearly identifiable by their uniforms and name tags, and that none should conceal their faces.

“At our meeting with the police, we indicated that we expect the usual professional standards — uniforms with visible name tags, and no officers in masks. Therefore, on Tuesday, any masked officer we encounter will not be regarded as a professional or legitimate police officer,” he cautioned.

Mr Mustapha stressed that it was imperative for the police to move swiftly to forestall infiltration and to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the electoral process.

The Akwatia by-election has been slated for Tuesday, September 2.