The Minority in Parliament have marched to the Police Headquarters in search of justice for their colleague from Ningo Prampram, Samuel George, and other members of the party.

Mr George and some party members were allegedly assaulted by masked men from National Security last Thursday during the by-election held at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.

Joy News footage captured the so-called security men throwing a punch in the direction of Mr George at the residence of the NDC’s Parliamentary candidate during the polls that saw the governing NPP win by a landslide.

Other members of the NDC, including its Parliamentary candidate, were alleged to have been assaulted by the masked men who until today, the police have yet to identify.

This has incensed the Minority, who immediately announced their pullout from the by-election.

Although they called for instant identification and prosecution of the men who meted out the brutalities on their members, the Minority say they are yet to receive a favourable response.

Joy News’ Parliamentary correspondent, Joseph Opoku Gakpo, was in Parliament and reports that the opposition MPs intend to meet the Inspector General of Police at the Police Headquarters to discuss their grievance with him.

After covering a distance of approximately 2.23 km, the Minority members said they hope that David Asante Apeatu will have answers to the questions they have been asking since last Thursday.

Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak, told Joseph they had hoped Parliament will address the issue at Tuesday’s sitting but it appeared the Majority seemed unperturbed.

“Government is not acting on any of the videos and is making it look as if it is business as usual, just swear her in and carry on, which is wrong.

“So we thought to let the IGP know that it has been five clear days and now they are swearing her in, not a single person has been arrested, nothing has been done,” the Minority Chief Whip said.

The MPs have arrived at the Police Headquarters where Mr George has been asked to write a statement on the assault in the absence of the IGP and his deputies.

The leadership of the Minority have, however, been invited into a meeting with the Director of Operations.

 

Below is a statement released by the Minority after their meeting at the Police Headquarters:

MINORITY STATEMENT TO THE MEDIA

The Minority in Parliament has this morning began a series of democratic actions to protest against the State-sponsored violence and terror that was unleashed on innocent unarmed citizens including our colleague, the Honourable Member for Ningo-Prampram, Mr. Samuel Nartey George during the bloody Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election of January 31, 2019.

It is our strong conviction that violence and State-orchestrated terror has no place in our democratic dispensation. 

The preamble of the Constitution of Ghana makes a solemn declaration and affirmation on the ideals that we must commit to - "The protection and preservation of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, Unity and Stability for our Nation."

Ghana has hitherto been a beacon and a reference point in the sub-region for our enviable democratic credentials. 

As legislators, we do not only condemn the despicable terror of last Thursday, we are resolved to rise up to our obligations under Article 41 (b) that calls on every citizen - "to uphold and defend this Constitution and the law."

To this end, therefore, we reiterate our refusal to recognise the illegitimate winner of that bloody by-election as declared by the incompetent and complicit Electoral   Commission. 

In furtherance, we have staged a walkout in order not to give credence nor legitimacy to that bloody election and her subsequent so-called swearing in.

It is our sincere view that the memory of our departed colleague does not deserve this sort of bloody legacy even if Madam Lydia Alhassan and her collaborators think otherwise. 

As a sequel to our boycott, we are marching immediately to the Ghana Police Service Headquarters to demand justice. We are outraged that five clear days after the attack on our colleague and other victims which was well captured by the media and same being in wide circulation on social media, not a single arrest of these known bandits has been effected. 

We shall continue to demand concrete action no matter how long and how hard our quest shall be.

The Minority holds President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as Commander-in-chief and Chairman of the National Security Council fully responsible for the 31st January bloodbath especially when his Minister of State for National Security, Mr. Bryan Acheampong has publicly admitted that National Security under the chairmanship of President Akufo-Addo deployed and supervised the broad daylight barbarism on the very Ghanaians President Akufo-Addo was elected to protect. 

The Minority hereby serves notice that we shall roll out series of further actions until a national enquiry is commissioned and until the perpetrators including the masked cowards and bloodthirsty hoodlums are brought to justice.