Member of Parliament for Abetifi and a Presidential candidate hopeful for the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Bryan Acheampong has broken silence on the unending discussion of the circumstances surrounding the chaotic scenes that engulfed a by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Ghana’s capital.
Dr. Acheampong, a Former Minister of State at the National Security during President Akufo Addo’s first term became the center of discussion in 2019 following the deployment of ‘thugs’ cladded in National Security uniforms that assaulted members of then opposition National Democratic Congress who has then lost 2016 elections woefully, including the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George.
At a formal meeting held at Rock City Hotel in Nkwatia-Kwahu with former MMDCEs, the Abetifi lawmaker underscored the trauma he suffered internationally for what he basically had no idea about just to protect the image of the then government. ‘Everybody knows, in this country I’m being vilified for Ayawaso, international vilification. On the day of Ayawaso I was sitting here because I had been sidelined somewhere so I was here doing my construction when I remember very well Oppong Nkrumah, Bernard Avle and Deputy Attorney – General then, Godfred Dame called and asked what was happening. Everybody was running away, that these were Delta and Invincible Forces, (vigilantes) so I just spoke on radio that those boys were not vigilantes, I know some of them from the National Security then the whole country pointed their guns at me, everybody was on me but I knew nothing about it and I wasn’t part of it“, he said.
The MP emphasized on how he single handedly had to stand in and absorb the blame just to save the party; ‘But I stood in quietly and took one for NPP, I didn’t come to deny the party, deny the boys and betray the government, I just kept quiet. I took one for the team, so that at least, it will save the government, the government will then find a way to smoothen the hedges so they set up a commission and we waited it out. I didn’t go complaining, I didn’t say that it is my image, no, we made sacrifices, we financed the project and we’ve been mafiad“, he recalled.
The Ayawaso West by-election took place on 31 January 2019 after the death of the incumbent MP Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko on 21 November 2018. Lydia Alhassan of the New Patriotic Party was elected with 69% of the vote.
Violence erupted in the area of the La-Bawaleshie polling station two hours after the election had started, though there was no death recorded there were casualties.
Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George was assaulted and 18 people were wounded by gunshot. Media reportage indicated the perpetrators were masked men and alleged to be National Security Operatives.
In February 2020, a 3-member commission was established by the GoG to investigate the violence during the by-election. It was claimed to be set-up by Mahamudu Bawumia with the permission of Nana Akufo-Addo.
SOURCE: Myrepubliconline.com/Andy Frimpong Manso
