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Some aggrieved members of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP, in the Ejisu Constituency of the Ashanti Region disrupted an ongoing exercise to pick electoral area coordinators within the constituency.
The angry members, some of whom invoked curses stormed the auditorium of a Catholic Church at Hwereso, forcing organizers to halt the process.
A video obtained by dailymailgh.com captures a near scuffle and loud noises at the venue amid claims the election was being held fraudulently.
“We have to vote for polling station elections before and so this [electoral area coordinators’] election cannot be held”, a voice is heard in the video calling another individual to invoke curses in the midst of the chaos.
It is not clear whether elections were held in other electoral areas within the constituency as party officials said they are monitoring the situation.
MCE, ECG boss fueling tensions in Ejisu
The election for new NPP executives in the Ejisu Constituency has been characterized by a raft of issues. A group calling itself the Young Patriots led a demonstration against the Municipal Chief Executive of the area, Samuel Oduro Frimpong.
According to the protesters, their action is in response to comments made by the MCE in the just ended polling station elections.
They further accused the MCE of doing the bidding of the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Kwame Agyemang-Budu who they accuse of fueling tensions within the party.
The protesters, some of whom wore party attire, wielded placards as they marched through the streets of Ejisu demanding the immediate removal of the MCE over his conduct.
The MCE is reported to have commented on a petition submitted to his office by some aggrieved members alleging that elections in the constituency did not follow due process.
“I was commenting on contents of the petition filed by some aggrieved party members that there was no election held in the constituency, yet some people were acclaimed as polling station officers after the election was allegedly held in the night.
“…So, the constituency executives also filed another petition to the party’s regional office… I also pointed out to the host that as a former chairman of the party I have never witnessed elections being held at night and that’s my sin,” the MCE said.
Arrest Young Patriots leaders for lying to police – A/R Minister
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has directed the police command to arrest the leaders of the Young Patriots, a volunteer group sympathetic to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) for lying to the Police command to seek a permit for an unwarranted demonstration in the region.
The Minister further directed the police at Ejisu to arrest all the leaders of the group for lying about the real intent of their demonstration.
The Minister gave this directive in an interview with Hello FM, a Kumasi-based media outfit on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.
The volunteer group was founded and led by John Ampontuah Kumah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ejisu Constituency.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH