The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has served notice that the party will resist any attempt by the government to intimidate and harass its members over what party termed “unwarranted arrest and persecution”.
According to the group, free speech is a Fundamental Human Rights enshrined in the 1992 constitution and that no government can infringe upon it.
They expressed the sentiment when members of the Sunyani East Constituency of the party embarked on a peaceful demonstration in the Bono Regional Capital-Sunyani to register their protest over recent arrest of some activists and sympathisers by of the party by security operatives over misinformation in the social media.
The demonstration dubbed: ‘Yesuro Ahunahuna’ led by Mr Theophlius Kyeremeh Amoah, Deputy Regional Communications Officer of the party; Jerry Ahmed Shaibu, the Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, some regional executives and former members of parliament of the party from the region, and among others.
The demonstration commenced at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani at about 10:01 am and proceeded through the frontage of the Regional Police Headquarters, through some principal streets of Sunyani and finally concluded at the Regional Coordinating Council where they presented a petition to the council which was received by Prisca Adonye, Deputy Director of the Coordinating Council.
They held placards with inscription ‘Enough is enough,’ ‘safe our democracy now’ and ‘fear cannot rule Ghana.’
The protest was necessitated by the arrest and detention of Mr Abubakha Yakubu alias Baba Amando, Sunyani East Constituency Communications Officer of the party, for allegedly engaging in a cyber- crime related offences against state authorities. He was later granted bail.
The demonstrators said their protest was also in response of what they termed harassment of other leading members of the party including the Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye DC, social media activists and sympathisers of the party.
Addressing Journalists after the protest marched which lasted for an hour and over, the member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaibu, called on the president John Dramani Mahama to halt the unwarranted arrest of their members.
He noted that the NPP was a law abiding party who respect the authority of the president and government but would not allow their members to be treated unfairly.
The Mp urged the government to focus on delivering on its mandate of which they were voted into office.
“The people want the government to address the issues of galamsey menace, LGBT, high cost of living, jobs which they promise and now telling the people to go do indomie and host of others. So far seven of our members arrested including Fanti comedy, Adenta Kumi, Abronye and Baba Amando and host of others,” he stated.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH SUNYANI
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