Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Bernard Mornah says his timely intervention prevented a confrontation between his supporters and the police on Tuesday.
According to him, but for his peaceful nature, there would have been chaos at the premises of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), as, what he termed as the provocative behaviour of the police, almost elicited a reaction from his followers.
Mr Mornah was at the offices of the CID to answer questions about some public statements he made which were deemed to be threatening to the Electoral Commission but the Police initially prevented him and scores of his supporters, who were accompanying him, from getting close to their Headquarters.
Commenting on the development on Eyewitness News, Mr Mornah accused the police of deliberately trying to foment trouble with his arrest but his timely intervention ensured that things were normalized.
“But for my peaceful nature -when we got to the Fire Service junction, the manner in which the police started stretching forward was like they were ready to kill. If I had allowed the crowd that followed me into the Police Headquarters, I am sure we would be talking about a different scenario. I asked everybody to stay still. If I hadn’t done that, it will have led to a collision between them and the police. The police were battle-ready, coming with water canons, armoured cars, and virtually dressed ready to go for jungle warfare. The manner in which they came was provoking the crowd and if the crowd had acted otherwise, I am not sure we would have been talking now. Let it be known, that I have always been peaceful and I have always thought that we should have peace of our own” he said.
Mr. Mornah’s supporters, most of whom were clad in red, were marching alongside Mr. Mornah to the police headquarters where the PNC Chairman was expected to honour an invitation from the CID, over comments he made concerning the compilation of a new voters’ register.
Some armed police personnel stopped the group at the Police Headquarters traffic light and prevented them from proceeding to the premises.
Mr Mornah was however discharged after he and his lawyers were subsequently allowed into the premises of the Police Headquarters following the temporary holdup.
An internal police memo sighted by Citi News indicated that the police service had anticipated the crowd which accompanied the PNC chairman to the police headquarters, and hence, deployed a special security team to the area to ensure public order.
Police invitation
The CID on Thursday, May 28, 2020, issued the invitation to the PNC National Chairman who is quoted to have said that he will resist every attempt by the EC to compile a new voters’ register.
“People who are already Ghanaians and already registered are going to be taken out of the voters’ register. Don’t think confusion will come at the registration station but if confusion comes there, you think the EC staff will be safe? We will beat each other there and we will kill each other there if that is what the EC wants to lead this nation to,” Mr. Mornah is reported to have said at a press conference organized by the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Register (IPRAN) on May 26, 2020.
But, Mr. Mornah in an earlier interview said he does not see anything threatening about his comment.
According to him, his comment was only a piece of advice to the EC against the compilation of a new register ahead of election 2020.
“I have said that if the Electoral Commission is intending to lead us through this dangerous path, they should know that there will be confusion…It is a caution. If caution becomes threats, I will not run away from it,” he stated.