Two private citizens have petitioned President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to broaden the scope of the Commission Inquiry probing the violence that rocked the Aya"},"modified":"2019-02-19T21:48:10","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T21:48:10","slug":"two-private-citizens-petition-akufo-addo-to-expand-scope-of-emile-short-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/02\/19\/two-private-citizens-petition-akufo-addo-to-expand-scope-of-emile-short-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Two private citizens petition Akufo-Addo to expand scope of Emile Short Commission"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n Two private citizens have petitioned President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to broaden the scope of the Commission Inquiry probing the violence that rocked the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.<\/span><\/p>\n Eric Nartey Yeboa and Yussif Ibrahim Bangsua say the current scope of the Commission is too limited to bring closure to by-election violence in Ghana.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2026there are four recent by-elections in Ghana that were also characterized by violence and have many victims still suffering effects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe petitioners believe that the AWW by-election violence was occasioned by the unresolved previous by-elections violence. Therefore, to be able to bring by-elections violence in Ghana to a closure, the root of the violence must be traced and uprooted,\u201d extracts of the petition sighted by Myjoyonline.com said.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eric Nartey Yeboa and Yussif Ibrahim Bangsua also hold the view that Inn the Emile Short-led Commission of Inquiry into the Ayawaso West Wuogon violence fails to investigate the violence that rocked other by-elections violence and \u201cmitigate the pains of the victims of those instances and or bring the perpetrators to book, there would be a clear discrimination and bias against the victims of those by-elections and an endorsement of the wrongful acts of the perpetrators of the violence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They mention \u00a0the 2009 Akwatia by-election violence;\u00a0the 2010 Atiwa by-election \u201cwhere the violence became so pervasive that a land cruiser was driven through a crowd of ordinary citizens injuring many of them\u201d; the 2009 Wulensi by-election \u201cin which\u00a0the violence was so massive that live bullets were fired into a crowd of ordinary citizens injuring many of them\u201d; the 2015 Talensi by-election \u2018where the violence led several people brutalised\u201d as previous by-election-related disturbances that equally require probing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe petitioners respectfully submit that your Excellency extends the terms of reference of the commission to cover the elections stated\u2026above so as to uproot election violence\u2026\u201d the petitioners demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n Emile Short Commission<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Government inaugurated the three-member Commission of Inquiry<\/b> to look into the violence which occurred on Thursday, January 31, during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.<\/span><\/p>\n Former Commissioner of CHRAJ Justice Emile Short, Prof. Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu and a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patrick K. Acheampong, were appointed to among other things \u201cmake a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to, the events and associated violence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Justice Emile Short chairs the Commission, while law lecturer, Kofi Abotsi, was appointed its secretary.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanamma.com\/2019\/02\/4293476632847_5543233229778.jpeg\"\/)
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