Isolated cases of violence rock voter transfer. Suhum, Asunafo South EC offices closed down
Isolated cases of violence have rocked the transfer of voter exercise being undertaken by the Electoral Commission (EC).
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Supporters of some political parties are said to have ransacked EC offices in the Asunafo South Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region last Monday and Suhum in the Eastern Region last Thursday, forcing the commission to suspend the exercise in those areas.
But the EC said the transfer of votes exercise had been generally peaceful and that the cases of violence reported were localised.
The Assistant Head of Communications at the EC, Mr Yussif Alhassan Yakubu, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the EC had recorded violence at only three of its 215 offices, saying that was very insignificant to mar the exercise.
Suhum incident
From Suhum, McAnthony Dagyenga reports that some irate people said to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) last Thursday evening allegedly ransacked the municipal office of the EC in Suhum in the Eastern Region.
The people, who were in a Ford Explorer vehicle branded with NDC stickers, with some of them in NDC branded T-shirts, scattered documents and electoral materials and dismantled equipment in the office and allegedly bolted with one of the commission’s printers.
As a result, the EC office has been closed and all other electoral businesses halted until further notice.
Prospective voters who had visited the office to transfer their votes were left stranded.
The Suhum Municipal Electoral Officer, Mr Worlali Mensah Tega, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, said he had reported the matter to the Suhum Police who had visited the scene to start investigations into the matter.
According to him, the NDC supporters had, on several occasions, threatened to kill him but last Thursday evening they vandalised the EC office.
Threat on our lives
“We have currently stopped work, since our lives are in danger. If we are not assured of our safety, we cannot continue to work at the office. They had said it several times to us that they would bring knives to remove our intestines and they usually come with some form of aggression.
“If we do not have adequate protection, we will not continue to work; we will not sit down for them to come and slaughter us,” the frustrated EC officer said.
When asked what could have motivated the people to threaten their lives and do what they did, Mr Tega said within the week someone visited the office to transfer his vote, but his documentation was not accurate and was, therefore, directed to go and bring some other documents.
“But the person became agitated, saying he would not agree to do what we had asked him to do. Days after that, we started receiving threats from those NDC members.
“This is an indication that some political parties do bus people to register or transfer votes. This is lawlessness! As for us, we will follow due process in executing our work. They should give us the peace of mind to do our work!” he said.
A stranded voter who was at the office to transfer his vote from Kumasi to Suhum told the Daily Graphic that he had been there early in the morning but realised that the office was locked and the premises in a mess.
Asunafo South incident
Last week, the EC suspended the voter transfer exercise at Asunafo South following the invasion of the EC office by unknown men.
The assailants, who were said to be wielding machetes, destroyed electoral equipment, including computers, television sets, chairs and tables.
Three persons are said to have sustained injury.
The assailants also reportedly destroyed computers, television sets, tables and chairs at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) office.
Reports indicate that the incident followed claims by members of the NDC that the NPP was bussing foreigners to transfer their votes ahead of the December 7 general election.
There was also a claim by NPP members that the attack had been masterminded by the NDC.