Benyamin Avornyotse, the spokesperson and aide for NDC parliamentary candidate John Dumelo, has criticised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for including Dumelo in its investigation into alleged electoral misconduct during Ayawaso West Wuogon’s special voting.
The OSP’s probe reportedly includes both Mr Dumelo and the incumbent Member of Parliament, Lydia Alhassan of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for alleged infractions during the special voting exercise held on Monday, December 2.
Mr Dumelo is specifically being investigated for interacting with voters in the queue, an action the OSP says breaches electoral laws.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, on Wednesday, December 4, Mr Avornyotse dismissed the OSP’s focus on Dumelo.
He argued that the real issue lies with Lydia Alhassan, who was allegedly seen handing out items to voters, including security officers.
“What did we all see in the video? It was the MP handing out items to voters. That is the matter in contention. This attempt to rope us into this issue will not fly,” he said.
He claimed that Mr Dumelo’s inclusion in the investigation appears to be an effort to “equalise” the situation and avoid holding anyone accountable.
“The only reason they are trying to bring in John is to equalise and use it as an excuse why they cannot arrest anybody. Basically, that is what they are doing,” he said.
Nevertheless, he stated Mr Dumelo would cooperate fully if required for investigations.
Mr Avornyotse also called for heightened vigilance by law enforcement and citizens on Election Day to prevent any recurrence of such activities, urging authorities to ensure strict compliance with electoral regulations.