PRESS RELEASE
YOUTH FOR MAHAMA (OFFINSO-NORTH) POSITION ON LIMITED REGISTRATION
Over the years there has been peace with regards to elections in the Offinso North and that is what we the Youth for Mahama stands to maintain.
The constitution of Ghana clearly spells out the conditions under which one qualifies to participate in the limited registration exercise which is our paramount concern especially in this electoral area.
It is of this core mandate that, we the concern youth and stakeholders in development want to ensure a free and fair, peaceful and violent free election with the recognition of other stakeholders in development like Chieftaincy Based Organizations (CBOs), Christians Based Organizations as well as the District Security Council etc.
In the 2012 electioneering year, the constituency recorded an incident of gun shot at buses that conveyed people from different towns to come and register in the Offinso North Constituency all in the name of the NPP. Again, in 2014 during the limited registration exercise we also recorded a similar incident where people were bussed from Offinso South to Offinso North and were arrested and detained in police custody and were granted bail by NPP chairman and other executive members of the NPP.
We have again, gathered ample evidence and intelligence information from reliable sources that the NPP member of Parliament Hon. A. C. Ntim and the NPP of bussing people of about 2,500 for the limited registration from their very strongholds in Namong, Offinso and Bantama. And also planned to raise challenge forms in all our strongholds across the constituency. Hon. A. C. Ntim has consistently imported people who are non-residence of Offinso North Constituency to vote in his favour in 2008 and 2012 elections.
As responsible and concern youth group in the constituency (YFM and Young Cadres) we feel that the actions of Hon. A. C. Ntim can be equated to oppression as stipulated in the constitution of the EC. It is we the electorates who know our developmental problems and the candidate who will best serve our interest in parliament. Here again, The Offinso North District Assembly acting on the Electoral Commission request to remove all deceased persons from the register in its bid to produce a credible voter register directed by all unit committee chairpersons and assembly members in the district on 20th April, 2016 to undertake exercise within their electoral area. It would be recall that the NPP supporters in Suame constituency were caught taking information of live NDC members to be remove from the voters register today as we speak such same incident is being carried out in our constituency. Complains have been made to the district police Headquarters in Akumadan and very soon arrest will be made. We are therefore issuing out a strong warning to the NPP folks to desist from such unscrupulous and ill exercise to avert any tension in our constituency.
In conclusion, we the youth will not tolerate any act of impunity or infringement on our electoral rights, an act of sabotage, betrayal which is unconstitutional. We therefore, stand against this tyrannical act by sending a strong signal and warning through the media to the various communities and towns where he intends importing such people from. We have people in various towns and communities within our constituency to serve as watchdogs by preventing those people from registering and if necessary report to the appropriate authorities. We are not going to trample upon the right of the people but we will not sit down and allow anybody we mean anybody to do whatever he/she likes. On this note we consider anybody who refuses to heed to our advice and seek to sabotage the on-going electoral exercise will be doing that on their own risk.
Also, we will urge the electoral commission in the district to be circumspect in their capacity to maintain peaceful, transparent, free and fair election, before, during and after 7th November, 2016 because we will not take it lightly with them if they try to compromise with any political party.
Thank you.
Signed by:
RICHARD BOADU
(Secretary YFM)
0249099973
ERNEST YONG-YELE
(Acting Coordinator YFM)
0246911011
ADAM SALIFU
(Organizer YFM)
0200556807
FELIX GYEDU
(Research Officer)
0243413391