EC received no briefing from police on operational plans – Jean Mensa reveals

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The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission has revealed that the Commission received no briefing from the police on the latter’s plan to provide security for the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

Jean Mensa told the Commission investigating the violence associated with the by-election that despite writing to the police offering the EC’s help to provide briefing to the police personnel to be deployed, the police did not revert.

“…we didn’t receive any detailed briefing from them as to how they were going to deploy,” Jean Mensa said.

“They didn’t provide us with a list of personnel they were sending to each of the polling stations going to deploy,” she added.

Asked about the operational plan “about how many they [police] were going to deploy,” the EC boss answered, “no.”

Jean Mensa added that there was an initial meeting with the Greater Accra Regional Director of the EC with the Accra Regional Commander of the Police.

She stated that it was that meeting that the Regional EC Director provided the police with the locations of their polling stations to enable the police to deploy.

Speaking on the violence on election day, Jean Mensa told the Commission of Inquiry that there was no violence at any of the 137 polling stations.

She emphasised that the disturbances occurred at the resident of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate.

The residence was close to a polling station so members of the community nearby run to the La Bawaleshie Presby polling station for shelter, Mrs. Mensa noted.

This, she added brought some 45 minutes interruption in the polls but the normalcy was restored.

The Emile Short-led Commission is investigating the circumstances leading to violent clashes at La Bawaleshie in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in the early hours of January 31.

Armed men stormed the residence of the NDC candidate, Delali Brempong.

The Minister of state at in charge of National Security has said the men were deployed on intelligence that arms were being stockpiled in the house.

He, however, admitted before the Commission of Inquiry on Thursday that the operatives did not succeed in retrieving any arms.

Source: Myjoyonline.com