Hawa Koomson
Former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Awutu Senya East Constituency, Ms. Hawa Koomson, has called for calm from Ghanaians following the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak’s revelation which exonerated her from the accusations levelled against her over the violence which rocked the 2024 elections in Kasoa.
“I call on all Ghanaians, especially political actors and the media to exercise calm and to avoid misinformation, incitement and divisive rhetoric. This moment calls not for blame but for retrospection, justice and national unity,” she said in a statement issued yesterday.
The minister’s report, she recalled, confirms that 21 suspects have been identified, and that there were clear breaches of discipline by some security officers and that the use of firearms in certain situations was unjustified.
Continuing, she said that the findings affirm “what I have consistently maintained, that the Kasoa incident was the result of security lapses and institutional failures, not the actions of instigation of any individual.”
The former Minister for Special Development Initiatives recalled how over the years she endured harsh and unfair public attacks, saying, “I was branded violent, reckless and unfit for office through sensational and misleading headlines. The judgment was swift and painful. Today, the Interior Minister’s findings have vindicated me, confirming that the violence was not directed by me but stemmed from broader systemic failures in election security coordination.”
She attributed the assault she suffered during the Ablekuma North election rerun to the unjustified accusations and intense vilification she faced.
She had gone to the election venue, as she said, to monitor proceedings, adding “that experience remains one of the darkest moments of my public life, a reminder of how false narratives can destroy reputations and endanger lives.
“While I take no delight in revisiting these painful experiences, I extend my deepest sympathies to the families of all victims of electoral violence. Their loss must be our national lesson. I fully support the Interior Minister’s recommendations, including compensation for victims, enhanced police training, the use of non-lethal crowd control tools, and the discontinuation of military involvement in election control operations.”