The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ohene Ntow, has hinted that the leadership of the party is under pressure to protest against what he called Government’s harassment of former government officials. Ohene Ntow said supporters of the NPP want to hit the streets because they believe the National Democratic Congress government’s treatment of the former officials is rather unfair. Speaking to Joy News on Monday, the NPP scribe said although an official decision has not been reached on the move, the likelihood of a demonstration is not remote. “I would not say that at this point the party has issued any official programme or announcement for a demonstration,” he maintained. The NPP has in earlier press conferences and interactions with the media called for a halt in what it said has been a deliberate ploy by the ruling party to malign the opposition party. The Minority in Parliament in a recent press briefing lamented the seizures of state vehicles purchased mostly by members of the NPP in the previous administration. Rejecting the trend of affairs, Nana Ntow said government must take action now. “The arbitrariness in the seizure of cars including the party campaign vehicles, which to date have not been returned by the BNI in Kumasi and all of those; it is creating quite a bit of anger within the party,” he said. Ohene Ntow hinted that the pressure from the supporters is also borne out of the belief “that probably the only language the NDC understands would be the language of a demonstration.” He said the NPP is also surprised that such seizures would go on especially when due process in the acquisition of the vehicles has been followed. “We have gotten letters, we have tried to show that for example in many of the cases of ministers and their cars they have gone through due process.” The former officials during the NPP administration were given the opportunity to purchase state vehicles on certain special terms including a 30-percent rebate in line with existing practice. But Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa at a press conference instructed the former officials to return all state vehicles in their possession for a revaluation, explaining that most of the cars were either woefully undervalued or were in the hands of people who had no legal right to keep them. He said while some of the affected were keeping the cars without any documentation, others who were known to be in possession of state vehicles, had not indicated any intention to purchase them but were also reluctant to return them into state custody. As at Monday, media reports suggested 17 of such vehicles, including some that should not have been sold at all because they did not meet the age and usage requirements for sale, had been returned. Government has not yet reacted to the threat of demonstration by the NPP. Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com