The opposition New Patriotic Party in the Ashanti Region has rejected claims that its Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi masterminded the planting of the fake ballot papers that were intercepted by the Police in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi on Monday.
“The NPP has absolutely nothing to do with the criminal act to thumb print ballot papers in favour of John Dramani Mahama, the NDC presidential candidate. It’s an allegation that is mischievous, reckless, criminal and designed to pervert the course of justice,” the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for the Subin Constituency, Eugene Boakye Antwi said at a press conference on Tuesday.
[contextly_sidebar id=”DD1nh4vL5V6hJdFnOjr5DaZ8MVSeTEdt”]The Police in Kumasi on Monday intercepted three bags stuffed with thumb-printed presidential ballot papers found at the Madison Lodge at TUC in Kumasi.
All the retrieved ballot papers which had thumb prints for President John Mahama, the presidential candidate of the NDC was later said to be fake.
The NDC has however blamed Wontumi and his aide, Andy Owusu for plotting the incident.
Meanwhile, the NPP in the region while rejecting the claim, further accused the Police of taking sides instead of being objective.
Eugene Boakye Antwi at the press conference said “the leadership of the party in the region has read with dismay and concern about the threat of arrest and detention of our Regional Chairman on social media by the Commissioner of Police, Nathan Kofi Boakye, the Regional Police commander.”
“The constitution of Ghana enjoins the security agencies to protect every responsible and law abiding citizens who go about their lawful businesses. We urge the security agencies to exercise maximum restraint, reasonable force and even handedness in their constitutional mandate, before, during and after this tensed political season. The leadership has put in place maximum internal security arrangements to protect every polling station to ensure that Ghanaians specifically those residing in the Ashanti Region are free to go about and exercise their civic responsibilities,” he added.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin