The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that Collins Dauda, Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, committed no crime, despite the Ghana Police Service’s announcement of his involvement in some disturbances at Kukuom during the ongoing Limited Voter Registration Exercise.

According to a police statement, the MP was detained for his role in a fight at a registration office on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

However, in a statement on Monday, May 13, the NDC decried the arrest and questioned the Police’s professionalism in dealing with such problems.

“The NDC condemns in no uncertain terms the unprofessional haste of the Ghana Police Service to publish the so-called arrest of the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South and create the impression all over the media as though he has committed a crime. For emphasis, Hon. Collins Dauda has committed no crime. The allegation by the Police that he was involved in some disturbances at the ongoing voter registration in Kukuom is palpably false and must be treated with the contempt it deserves,” a statement signed by its National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi noted.

Thugs purportedly linked with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) instigated the uproar, according to the NDC. It claimed that the thugs barricaded the registration facility in question, preventing NDC supporters from leaving, and then abruptly began firing, which the statement stated was supported by a police report.

According to the NDC statement, Collins Dauda was not present at the institution during the violence.

“We wish to place on record that, at no point was the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Hon. Collins Dauda present at the Kukuom registration center on Saturday, 11th May, 2024. Contrary to the claim by the Ghana Police Service, Hon. Collins Dauda was busily monitoring the ongoing registration exercise in his Constituency, Asutifi South and was nowhere near the incident at Kukuom which is located in the Asunafo South constituency.”

Below is the full NDC statement

NDC RESPONDS TO ARREST OF THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR ASUTIFI SOUTH, HON. COLLINS DAUDA IN CONNECTION WITH ONGOING VOTER REGISTRATION EXERCISE.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), has taken note of a statement by the Ghana Police Service, that it has arrested the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Hon. Collins Dauda for his alleged involvement in some disturbances at a Voter Registration Center at Kukuom in the Asunafo South constituency in the Ahafo Region.

Having had the benefit of the facts surrounding the said incident, the party wishes to respond as follows;

1. On or about 10:00am on Saturday, 11th May, 2024, a group of thugs belonging to the ruling New Patriotic Party numbering about 40, besieged the Asunafo South Constituency registration center at Kukuom.

2. Wearing face masks and dressed in what looked like military apparel, these NPP thugs unleashed violence on the registration center. They attacked and chased away perceived first-time NDC voters numbering about 150, who were in a queue waiting to be registered.

3. These hooded NPP thugs who were led by one “Anointing”, threatened the accredited NDC agent, Police Officers and other observers, insisting that they will not allow the first-time voters to be registered. The attacks persisted from 10:00am until 3:00pm on that fateful day.

4. At about 3:00pm, the Police at Kukuom called for reinforcement from the Regional Police Command at Goaso. This did not however deter the NPP bandits, who continued to engage in heated verbal exchanges with the Police at the scene, insisting that they will not allow the perceived supporters of the NDC to register.

5. In the midst of the pandemonium, one Daniel Arthur, a known NDC member and the Assembly Member for the Denyase Electoral Area: Abu, the NDC Coordinator for Asarekrom Electoral Area as well as the NDC’s registration agent at the center, were severely brutalized by the NPP thugs.

6. Upon hearing about the ongoing chaos, some NDC supporters, rushed to the scene to ascertain the situation for themselves and offer some support to the NDC supporters who were under attack. Upon seeing the NDC supporters, some of the NPP thugs bolted. Calm was restored at the center for sometime, allowing some of the harassed supporters of the NDC to register.

7. In a sudden turn of events, one of the NPP thugs drove across and blocked the road when the Asutifi South NDC supporters were leaving the center. He then pulled a gun and began to shoot indiscriminately at the NDC supporters in their vehicle. At this point, the NDC supporters in exercise of their right to self-defence, shot back to deter the thugs. No one sustained gunshot injuries.

8. This fact was corroborated by the Police in their investigative report read to Hon. Collins Dauda, MP for Asutifi South, in the presence of Hon. Eric Opoku, MP for Asunafo South, at a meeting on the morning of Sunday, 12th May, 2024.

9. We wish to place on record that, at no point was the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Hon. Collins Dauda present at the Kukuom registration center on Saturday, 11th May, 2024. Contrary to the claim by the Ghana Police Service, Hon. Collins Dauda was busily monitoring the ongoing registration exercise in his Constituency, Asutifi South and was nowhere near the incident at Kukuom which is located in the Asunafo South constituency.

10. Several NDC supporters who were hospitalised after being brutalized by the NPP thugs, have since lodged official complaints with the Kukuom Police.

11. The NDC condemns in no uncertain terms the unprofessional haste of the Ghana Police Service to publish the so-called arrest of the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, and create the impression all over the media as though he has committed a crime. For emphasis, Hon. Collins Dauda has committed no crime. The allegation by the Police that he was involved in some disturbances at the ongoing voter registration in Kukuom is palpably false and must be treated with the contempt it deserves.

12. The National Democratic Congress reiterates our commitment to peace in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise. We are a law-abiding political party committed to respecting the laws of the country. Our Parliamentary Candidates, agents and supporters throughout the country have so far comported themselves in the ongoing exercise, even in the face of extreme provocation and in some cases, violent attacks.

13. We are however concerned by the widespread violent incidents across the country in which NDC supporters have been at the receiving end of unprovoked brutalities, intimidation and harassments from the ruling New Patriotic Party, as happened in Adugyama in the Ahafo-ano South East Constituency in the Ashanti region, few days ago.

14. We wish to remind the Ghana Police Service of their responsibility to protect all stakeholders in the ongoing voter registration exercise. The Ghana Police must display professionalism and impartiality in maintaining law and order, and be fair to all actors in the political space.

15. We cannot accept a situation where the Police choose to watch on and take little action against NPP thugs who unleash unprovoked violence on NDC supporters in broad daylight.

16. Even though we in the NDC will never initiate any such attacks, let it be known, that our supporters reserve the right to defend themselves against any violence or attacks.

SIGNED.
SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ.
National Communications Officer

Former President John Dramani Mahama has expressed dissatisfaction about the loss of $190 million for private sector engagement in energy distribution under the US Millennium Compact.

In a Facebook post, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s ‘corrupt, yenkyendi, and cronyistic governing practices’ resulted in the loss of the $190 million US Millennium Compact.

When reelected in the next general elections on December 7, the former president promised to “work diligently to enhance private sector efficiency in the electricity distribution system, including metering, revenue management, and fault response.”

He also vowed to “ensure a thorough investigation of the PDS [Power Distribution Services] scandal and hold those involved accountable.”

The Ghanaian government granted Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Limited a 25-year concession to administer the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in a contentious transaction.

The agreement was signed in March 2019 but was halted in July 2019 due to charges of fraud.

As part of the second tranche of the MMC power agreement, the Ghana government was on the verge of obtaining $190 million in funding for the long-term sustainability of associated infrastructure projects and the financial recovery of the energy sector in March 2019.

However, due to the cancelled concession agreement with Ghana’s Power Distribution Services (PDS), which called for PDS to take over the operation and management of the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) staff and assets, the US government halted the funds transfer, claiming that private sector participation was a key reform under MCC’s Ghana Power Compact.

Below is the full statement.

Dear fellow Ghanaians,

It’s disheartening to learn that the $190 million we negotiated for private sector participation in electricity distribution under the US Millennium Compact has been lost due to Nana Addo and Bawumia’s corrupt, ‘yenkyendi’, and cronyistic governance practices.

This is unacceptable, and we deserve better as a people.

As I gear up to assume the presidency in January 2025, thanks to your votes and endorsement in this year’s election, I want to assure you that I will work diligently to enhance private sector efficiency in the electricity distribution system, including metering, revenue management, and fault response.

My administration will prioritise accountability and ensure a thorough investigation of the PDS scandal to hold those involved accountable.

We can work together to build a brighter future for Ghana’s power sector that benefits citizens and businesses.

Let’s stand together, fight against corruption and cronyism, and work towards building the Ghana we want.

#LetsBuildGhanaTogether
#Mahama4Change2024

The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to establish a contingency plan to address the numerous issues afflicting the restricted voter registration process.

The registration process has been cumbersome, leaving many people unable to register.

Following a visit to a voter registration facility, Afenyo-Markin underlined the need of the EC to have a backup plan in place to guarantee that every eligible voter is registered before the process is completed.

“The Electoral Commission must strengthen its registration system. Obviously, if we’re all talking about network difficulties, I’m not sure they’ll be able to finish on time. It is necessary to address the frustrations and delays.

“So I am encouraging the Electoral Commission to guarantee that they have a backup mechanism because the current grievances are too numerous. And I would encourage the Electoral Commission to meet expectations.

Other others, notably the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s running mate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, have suggested that the deadline be extended to compensate for the time lost owing to technical and network issues.

On the other hand, President Akufo-Addo has urged all eligible voters to register in order to strengthen Ghana’s democratic process.