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Police have launched an investigation into a tragic accident that claimed the life of an eight-year-old girl, Musharafat Awudu, at Hiawuanwu, located in the Ejura/Sekyedumase Constituency of the Ashanti Region.
The accident occurred on Saturday (19 October), when a tricycle, locally known as ‘Aboboyaa,’ carrying over 20 people, overturned on its way to a political rally organized by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The rider reportedly lost control while trying to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming motorcycle, causing the tricycle to veer off the road and flip over, throwing the passengers to the ground.
Musharafat Awudu, who was found unresponsive at the scene, was rushed to the Ejura Government Hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead. Several others sustained injuries and were treated at the same facility.
The accident took place shortly after Sammy Gyamfi, the NDC’s National Communications Director, had wrapped up a campaign tour in the area.
Speaking to Asaase News, Kwa-Sam Samuel, the Deputy Secretary of the NDC in the Ejura/Sekyedumase Constituency, expressed the party’s sorrow over the tragic event and said they would fully cooperate with the police investigation.
“They are party faithful and are of the same family who wanted to join the rally at Hiawuawu. And so, a senior brother picked the tricycle to transport the occupants to the ground. They didn’t even reach us. We were returning from the rally when they also joined us in the middle of the road when unfortunately, this incident occurred”, he stated.
“Now the police have taken investigations. Per their ages they shouldn’t have joined the campaign train. This is negligence on the part of the parents. And so, this is an eye opener for all political parties to reconsider their campaign transportation strategy to avoid such an unfortunate incident”, he added.
In a related development, the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has engaged with all political parties ahead of the December elections in an effort to address a surge in road accidents during election years.
Pearl Adusu Sateckla, the NRSA’s public relations officer (PRO), revealed the initiative during an interview on Accra-based Asaase Radio on Wednesday (16 October).
“Research [has] shown that election year has come with its own problems of increase in crashes,” she said.
The parties were also urged to integrate road safety measures into their policies and manifestos.
“We made our NGO partners go into their (political parties) offices regionally and then head office to sensitise them on the impact of their recklessness on the road and the toll it has on their voting public,” Sateckla added.
As part of their commitment, political parties signed a pact pledging to prioritise road safety in their campaigns.
“We made them sign a pact and pledge to promise that they will seriously input road safety in their policies and their manifesto and even talk about it on their campaign platform,” the NRSA PRO stated.
Sateckla emphasised that the NRSA will continue to engage with parties at district, constituency, and regional levels to ensure road safety becomes a central theme in their political discourse.
“We are involving the political parties,” she said. “After the national programme, we are going down to the districts, constituencies [and] regions to still engage them so that road safety will become an integral part of their campaigns.”
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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