A Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has threatened to sue the Running Mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for attempting to mislead the State with claims he was in possession of an electoral register full of Togolese nationals.
According to Koku Anyidoho, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia deceived the Electoral Commission (EC) when he said the party had some evidence to show that some 76,000 Togolese had their names on the country’s electoral register.
[contextly_sidebar id=”cRPHPNEDLlAmh7tCgtXDgTDHAl1l9h8X”]Rekindling the sentiment that led the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, to call for the NPP Running Mate’s arrest over same, Koku Anyidoho maintained that Dr. Bawumia must be held accountable for attempting to deceive a public office.
Speaking to Citi News, he, recalled that in August 2015, Dr. Bawumia “held a press conference and claimed that he had in his possession some Togolese register which was a 10 percent work in progress and that in due course, we was going to produce the extra 90 percent.”
“Where is the extra 90 percent from neighboring countries for which Nana Addo was abroad saying that we have more than one million foreigners on our voters’ register,” he questioned.
“My lawyers advised me, I am taking Bawumia court. That is more of interest to me,” the NDC Deputy General Secretary declared.
Koku Anydoho argued further that Dr. Bawumia “sought to deceive public office in the office of the EC with his fake Togolese register for which reason we have gotten to where we are.”
“The criminal offenses act allows us to go and check the law as to whether Bawumia should not be brought to book for his attempts to mislead the EC with his fake and fictitious Togolese register,” he added.
Background
On August 18, 2015 Dr. Bawumia during a presentation alleged that Ghana’s electoral roll was flawed with names of minors and over 76,000 Togolese.
He also claimed that other African nationals from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso were also on the roll hence the need for a new one to be compiled before the 2016 general elections but the EC rejected the claims describing it as “unconvincing.”
A committee constituted by the Commission to collate views on proposals for a new register, analysed the NPP’s claims and concluded that they were not credible.
Some NDC communicators as a result, called for the arrest of the economist for peddling falsehood, most recently the MP for the Juaboso Constituency in the Western Region, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana