The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has condemned violence at numerous voters registration centres in the country.
This comes after several chaos at some registration centres in the country.
The most notable was at Banda-Ahenkro in the Bono Region and the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region
The GBA also hit out at Minister for Special Development Initiative Hawa Kommson who fired gunshots at the Kasoa registration centre.
Portions of the GBA release also called on the security agencies to ensure strict maintenance of law and order at all the registration centres.
“In the interim we call upon the security and law enforcement agencies to ensure strict maintenance of law and order at all the registration centres in the current voters’ registration exercise to enable all eligible Ghanaians go about their civic duties without fear.”
Below is the GBA release
STATEMENT BY THE GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION ON VIOLENCE AT REGISTRATION CENTRES OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has read and observed with great dismay and uneasiness, in the media, incidents of violence at some registration centres where the Electoral Commission is presently undertaking the voters’ registration exercise.
Particularly, the GBA finds disturbing and totally unacceptable the events that occurred at Banda-Ahenkro in the Bono Region and the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region. In the Bono Region, the violence resulted in the untimely death of a teacher. Furthermore in the Central Region, the officials of the Electoral Commission and prospective voters were exposed to danger and the registration process, disrupted.
The Ghana Bar Association finds these incidents very unfortunate and we hereby condemn unreservedly the actions of the perpetrators which have resulted in the untimely death of one person, attacks on officials of the Electoral Commission, mayhem and confusion. Their actions are lawless and totally unacceptable. It is regrettable that the suspects in one instance include a Minister who is also a lawmaker.
The GBA has also taken note of the fact that the Police Service has commenced investigations with respect to the two incidents specifically referred to above. We trust that the investigations into all acts of violence at registration centres will be thorough, speedy and will result in the swift arrest and due prosecution of the offenders and irrespective of status.
In the interim we call upon the security and law enforcement agencies to ensure strict maintenance of law and order at all the registration centres in the current voters’ registration exercise to enable all eligible Ghanaians go about their civic duties without fear.
We wish to take this opportunity to extend our condolences to the family of the teacher who unfortunately lost his life and to empathise with officials of the Electoral Commission and all other persons who have been victims of the violence.
