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The campaign team of Nana Nkansah Boadu, a candidate in the just-ended Ashanti Regional Council of State representative elections, has condemned the violent disruption of the electoral process, describing it as a serious dent on Ghana’s democratic progress.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, the team’s spokesperson, Nana Obuor Sika, expressed deep concern over the chaos that marred the election process. He accused the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Frank Amoakohene, who also serves as the head of the Regional Security Council (RESEC), of allowing heavily built men (“machomen”) to storm the election venue and disrupt proceedings while police officers on duty allegedly stood by and did nothing.
Attacks on Media Personnel
Nana Obuor Sika further condemned the brutal attacks on journalists covering the election. He listed affected media personnel, including Kofi Adade of Oyerepa TV/FM, Akwasi Oppong of Angel TV/FM, Gideon Peprah of GhanaWeb, Papadat of Lawson TV/FM, and Attah K of TV Africa, who reportedly sustained injuries during the violent clashes.
In a show of solidarity, he announced that Nana Nkansah Boadu has pledged to cover the medical expenses of all five injured journalists.
“It is unacceptable for journalists, who were only doing their job, to be attacked in such a brutal manner. Nana Nkansah Boadu is committed to supporting them and will bear the cost of their medical bills,” Nana Obuor Sika stated.
Calls for EC Declaration
Despite the disruptions, the campaign team insists that preliminary results from the sorting process indicate that Nana Nkansah Boadu led with 47 votes out of 86 cast. However, they maintained that they would not rush to declare him the winner but would wait for the Electoral Commission (EC) to officially announce the results.
“We are confident that the figures from the sorting process clearly put Nana Nkansah Boadu ahead. However, we respect due process and will wait for the EC to formally declare the winner,” Nana Obuor Sika emphasized.
The team called on the relevant authorities, including the police and the Electoral Commission, to ensure that such disturbances do not undermine the credibility of future elections.
Meanwhile, stakeholders and political analysts have expressed concern over the increasing trend of violence in electoral processes, urging the government to take decisive action to protect Ghana’s democratic integrity.
