The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on early Tuesday morning embarked on its ‘March for Justice’ demonstration starting from the converging point, thus, Accra Mall.
The police agreed to provide security during the protest after initially declining, claiming that the event was most likely a Covid-19 spreader.
The protest led by the NDC youth wing also had the backing of the Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voters Register (IPRAN), a group made up of six other political parties who have expressed their support for the cause.
The rank and file of the party including General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia; Deputy General Secretary, Peter Otukunor, and some NDC MPs also participated.
The NDC chief scribe charged President Akufo-Addo to remove vigilantes recruited into the country’s security agencies.
He made the call when he addressed members of the party’s youth wing ahead of their ‘March for Justice’ protest on Tuesday.
Mr Asiedu Nketia accused the President of filling vacancies in the security agencies with members of various vigilante groups. Thus, damaging the reputation of, especially the Ghana Police Service (GPS) and Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
“The protectors of the country are getting a bad name because of the actions of President Akufo-Addo’s vigilantes. It has brought division between citizens and security personnel because those killing us now, are clad in police and military uniforms. They have been given guns and when they kill civilians it further deepens the division.
“This has not been the relationship between civilians and security personnel since independence. So what happened that now our protectors are shooting us like we are grass cutters?” he quizzed.
According to him, the current “rift” between the civilians and security agencies could be detrimental to the nation’s security system since the institutions rely on the citizenry for intel.
On his part, the Ningo Prampram MP, Samuel Nartey George, questioned the rationale behind having the military at the demonstration.
He said the military has “never been a tool for crowd control” as such the party expected to see the police and not the military.
“The military officers are not trained for crowd control so what is their business on the road,” he quizzed.
Kofi Adams, the Buem MP in the Oti Region, said recent happenings in the country indicate that the country’s democratic gains are being eroded.
According to him, government’s inaction on the incidents of violence and brutality that played out during the December 7, 2020 elections, which has led to many of such incidents reoccurring.
From Accra Mall – the converging point, the protestors marched forward to the Jubilee House to present one of its two petitions to the President.
The Youth Wing of the opposition party presented its petition to the Office of the President at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, July 6.
The Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of operations, Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman, received the petition on behalf of the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Engaging the protestors, he gave the assurance that the appropriate authorities will be consulted to resolve the issues regarding the law following due processes.
“On behalf of the President, I have received this petition. I listened to the articulation, they contained some democratic issues and issues that border on the rule of law. I am sure the appropriate authorities will be detailed and directed to do that which is possible and necessary under the dictates of our constitution. Thank you so much for coming and may God bless us all and our homeland Ghana,” he stated.
source: myjoyonline
