Sep 07, 2012 at 6:15am

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has begun investigations into alleged death threats against the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.

The Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr Prosper K. Agblor, told the Daily Graphic that although the EC boss had not reported the matter to the police, "once it is in the public domain, some officers have been sent to contact him and take his statement".

"He is not just an ordinary person. Even if he were an ordinary person, once he is threatened, and we know about it, we have to investigate," he explained.

Dr Afari-Gyan on Wednesday said he had received death threats because of the EC's decision to create 45 constituencies for the December polls.

The decision has been dogged with controversies. On two separate occasions, the Constitutional Instruments (CIs) to give legal backing to the process had been withdrawn and re-laid before parliament.

While' some civil society organisations are calling on the EC to re-consider its decision, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the EC of being in bed with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, hence its decision to supervise parliamentary primaries of the NDC in the yet-to-be-created constituencies.

Speaking at a public event organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) in Accra, Dr Afari-Gyan maintained that the commission would go ahead to discharge its constitutional mandate and would not be cowed or give in to intimidation.

"Let me say that I will not be frightened. I will do my work, the commission will do its work in accordance with the understandings of the rules and regulations under which it operates," he said.

Some members of the public have called for increased protection for Dr Afari-Gyan to ensure that he went about his duties without looking over his shoulders.

That, Mr Agblor stated, was necessary but would not give details of the form of protection to be given the EC Chairman.

On the December elections, he said the police had put in place necessary measures to make the days leading to the elections and their aftermath violence-free.

He said the police had taken delivery of a number of vehicles in addition to the passing out -of new recruits to augment security for the elections.



Source: Daily Graphic