Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi), has denied claims of inciting violence during the Assin North bye-election.
Chairman Wontumi has said he was on the grounds to only execute his work as an election observer.
The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in a report on the election called on the Ghana Police Service to urgently investigate and prosecute all persons found culpable for perpetuating violence on Tuesday.
National Coordinator, Albert Kofi Arhin, in a statement issued on Wednesday indicated that the observer team reported incidents of intimation, violation of counting procedure and violent clashes during the election.
The statement noted around 1 PM on Tuesday, a convoy of vehicles with NPP occupants, accompanied by Chairman Wontumi), pursued a vehicle occupied by NDC supporters from a different polling station to D/C Primary School in Praso (located within the Electoral Area with Polling Station Code B170801).
“During this pursuit, the occupants of the NPP vehicles proceeded to vandalize and damage parts of the NDC vehicle, resulting in commotion and disturbance along the roadside. Security personnel intervened to calm the situation by removing the actors from the vicinity of the polling station to a distant location.
“However, it was reported that the individuals involved in the altercation fired gunshots and one person was injured and was taken to the hospital for treatment,” the statement noted.
Reacting to the report on Accra-based TV3, Wontumi maintained his alleged involvement was not true.
To him, the report is one-sided as CODEO did not contact him about the situation before releasing the report.
“CODEO should have contacted me to understand the situation that transpired before bringing out the report but they didn’t but all I can say is I did not destroy any car so the report is not true,” he said.
ALSO READ:
- Intimidation, lies and bribery don’t win elections, people’s power does – Researcher on Assin…
Play the audio above: