General News of Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-02-22
Nana Obiri Boahen, Deputy NPP General Secretary
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has thrown out a call by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to disband its security apparatus known as Invincible Forces.
Deputy NPP General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen said since they did not consult the NDC before constituting the security team they would not take any lecture from it.
Speaking to Gifty Andoh, host of The Pulse programme on the JOYNEWS channel on MultiTV Wednesday, he said the last thing the NPP would do is to take instructions from the NDC about how it conducts its activities.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described as unfortunate post-election violence across the country when he delivered his first State of the Nation Address Tuesday.
“Certain incidents occurred during the transition period that are matters of concern to me, and should be to every Ghanaian, as they marred an otherwise dignified and successful transition.
Wrongdoing has no political colour, and I do not subscribe to the lawlessness of political party supporters simply because their party has been elected into office,” he said.
He said he had instructed former Inspector General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor when the incidents erupted to apply the law regardless of the political affiliation of the suspects involved.
The New IGP, David Asante Apeatu was also charged to arrest miscreants who foment trouble in the country, the President said.
But the NDC in a statement released Wednesday said the President’s touted intervention was a “belated” gesture.
NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia in a statement said the President refused to heed the voice of conscience during the heat of the violence.
“In our last two press conferences, we had cause to demand from Nana Akufo-Addo; a swift call to stop his lawless Invisible Forces from engaging in their beastly and barbaric acts.
Our calls went unheeded and the brigandry of the Invisible Forces resulted in injuries, destruction of property, and the loss of precious lives,” the statement read.
Nonetheless, the NDC welcomed the President’s message charging him to order the disbandment of NPP’s Invincible Forces alleged to have masterminded the violence across the country.
“In this regard, we wish to request the President to disband and demobilise his illegal vigilante group, the Invincible Forces with immediate effect,” the NDC said.
But the NPP said it would not disband the group because it formed it at a time when the police refused it protection under the erstwhile NDC regime.
“When we were in opposition some policemen were not prepared to assist the party [it was] these young men who held the forte,” he said, adding they would not dissolve the Invincible Forces.
“That will be over my dead body.”
