The Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, is denying allegations by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that she used security personnel to intimidate voters who sought to register for the new voters’ ID card in the constituency.
According to the legislator, the claims by the opposition party are false, malicious and aimed at marring her reputation.
“The statement by the NDC is false and malicious with the sole intent to defame me and cause disaffection for the NPP and the Atiwa East Constituency. I have not on any occasion been engaged in any of the acts that are alleged in the said statement,” she said in a statement.
Madam Osei-Asare also urged Ghanaians to condemn the NDC’s “penchant to create an atmosphere of chaos by linking disparate incidents to the ongoing registration exercise” and further described their actions as shameful.
Find below the full statement:
On Tuesday August 4, 2020, the National Democratic Congress, through its Communication Officer, Mr Sammy Gyamfi, released a statement which directly accused me of using the police and “bandits” to intimidate people seeking to register to vote in the Atiwa East Constituency.
Among other things, the statement said I “together with the Anyinam Police Commander and some thugs belonging to the NPP, stormed the houses of about 30 non-Akans who registered unchallenged at Anyinam and forcibly took their voter ID cards from them with the excuse that they are not Ghanaians.”
The statement by the NDC is false and malicious with the sole intent to defame me and cause disaffection for the NPP and the Atiwa East Constituency. I have not on any occasion been engaged in any of the acts that are alleged in the said statement.
We have been through a peaceful democratic process so far in the constituency.
We have worked together as a people – from different backgrounds, indigenes, settlers and friends – to educate ourselves, rally eligible registrants/voters and have been through the registration process as a people, encouraged by the need to work together to develop the constituency and Ghana at large.
Electoral issues requiring attention have been brought to the attention of the appropriate institutions and at no point during the process have armed people been used to intimidate eligible registrants/voters.
The National Democratic Congress’s penchant to create an atmosphere of chaos by linking disparate incidents to the ongoing registration exercise is shameful and must be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians.
Elections are won with records and solid executable plans, not with misinformation and fearmongering, and the NDC must strive to do that and stop the unnecessary propaganda.
I wish to assure all Ghanaians that we shall continue to work with all stakeholders in the constituency to ensure the success of the registration exercise.
We shall also put our shoulders to the wheel to continue developing the constituency and Ghana, and ensure that His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision for Ghana is achieved.
