Former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North, Fuseini Issah, has thrown his weight behind Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s strong condemnation of electoral violence, describing the NPP flagbearer’s recent remarks as a bold and timely move for an opposition party preparing to take power.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily, Mr. Issah said Dr. Bawumia’s vow to bring to justice those behind the chaos that marred the recent parliamentary primary rerun in Ablekuma North was both appropriate and necessary to reassure Ghanaians of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) commitment to responsible governance.
“We set out to rebuild, and so for an opposition party like us, what we need to do is to get ready for power. It is not out of place for us to start telling Ghanaians that along the line, within the next election, if you vote for us, this is what we are going to do about electoral violence,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia, the NPP’s 2024 presidential candidate, had issued a stern warning during the party’s National Delegates Conference held at the University of Ghana Stadium on Saturday, July 19. In his address, he condemned the violence that erupted during the July 11 rerun in Ablekuma North, assuring delegates that those responsible would face justice under a future NPP administration.
The incident in question involved a group of unidentified men storming the St. Peter’s polling centre, violently disrupting proceedings. Former Fisheries Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was reportedly assaulted during the fracas, as confirmed by Channel One News reporter, Jude Duncan.
Fuseini Issah used the platform to challenge the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to demonstrate a genuine commitment to curbing electoral violence by investigating the Ablekuma North incident thoroughly.
“When the NDC starts to talk about electoral violence, their reference point is Ayawaso West Wuogon,” he noted. “The NDC should set up a commission of enquiry and investigate into what went on in the Ablekuma North violence. It is only by doing that we will know that the NDC is actually doing something about electoral violence.”
He further criticized what he called the overreliance on the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election incident in political discourse, urging the NDC to address current and emerging cases of violence with the seriousness they deserve.
“They should stop using Ayawaso West Wuogon as a reference point of electoral violence in this country,” he added.