An International Relations Analyst, Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso has said that Kenya simply exercised its sovereign rights by refusing Peter Mac Manu entry into the country.
In a Citi News interview, Dr. Antwi Danso neither condemned nor condoned Kenya’s actions, stating that, the tenets of diplomacy allowed any country to take such decisions at its discretion.
[contextly_sidebar id=”eSeIgpM6sgu5H7XfKjwmzaL2Fmq1bje8″]“They [Kenya] invite who they want and disallow who they don’t want. It’s a bonafide right… It is an accepted norm in diplomacy. You look at the thing and think it will disturb your security, your political structure so you don’t want it… He is a persona non-grata so I won’t allow him entry. Period… I cannot say they did right or didn’t do right”, he said.
He believes no one should attempt subjecting Kenya’s actions to a legitimacy test and if Ghana is unhappy about Mr. Mac Manu being denied entry into the East African country, it is at liberty to retaliate “and if the retaliation comes to the worst, break off diplomatic relations.”
Mr. Mac Manu was to lead a team of election observers from the Democratic Union of Africa into Kenya in the run up to that country’s election, slated for August 8.
He was however denied access into the country on grounds that he is an Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa, an umbrella body of centre and centre- right parties in Africa which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.
He has since returned to Ghana.
Meanwhile Chief Agent Kenyan’s National Super Alliance (NASA), James Orengo has revealed that the 2016 NPP National Campaign Manager, Peter Mac Manu and one other compatriot were arrested and deported as soon as they arrived in Kenya.
Earlier reports from Kenya had suggested Mr. Manu’s denial was linked to his role as Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa, an umbrella body of centre- right parties in Africa which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.
Mr. Orengo however denied these claims, saying other representatives from the United States suffered a similar fate.
“This should be seen in the context of an operation that they were carrying yesterday. Not just in this national centre but everywhere They were removed from the plane, they did not formally disembark from the plane, they were taken away by the Police and pushed into another plane back to Ghana.
“We had also friends from Canada and United States. Both of them in sharing their experiences said the Police invaded their apartment where they were living and one of them was molested and thrown away into the bush”
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By: Marie-Franz Fordjoe/citifmonline.com/Ghana