Mahama Jabs NPP, Says Violence Has Become Their New Normal

The Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has denounced the violence that occurred during the just ended New Patriotic Party’s Super Delegates Conference.

On Saturday, the campaign coordinator of Alan Kyeremanten’s campaign team was allegedly assaulted in the North East region by some delegates after he protested against what he described as an election irregularity.

According to Ali Zakaria, he was beaten mercilessly when he questioned some voters who lifted up their ballot paper to the full view of the delegates after voting.

He indicated newsmen that some unidentified delegates attacked him; leaving him with a swollen eye and bruises on his face.

Reacting to the news, the former president, John Mahama, said “It would appear that violence has become the new normal for the NPP in any electoral contest they are involved in.”

According to him, for an event being organized for persons of the same party, it is rather unwarranted for there to be such brutal acts meted against one another.

“Acts of violence during what should be a peaceful civic exercise must be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians. Such brutal acts have no place in modern society, especially during an internal contest among persons who belong to the same party and have known each other for many years.

“This is detrimental to democracy,” he said.

The former President added that, “The barbarity of Ayawaso West Wuogon in 2019 and the murder of eight innocent Ghanaians during the 2020 elections will forever be a blot on the legacy of President Akufo-Addo and VP Mahamudu Bawumia”.

Meanwhile, the NPP in a press statement has tried to downplay the severity of the assault.

In a release addressing the incident, the party said the facts of the matter have been grossly exaggerated.

The statement indicated that the altercation was a result of an attempt by the campaign coordinator to prevent the regional youth organiser from dropping his “thumb-printed ballot paper into the ballot box.”

“The agent’s reason was that our regional youth organiser had shown his vote to bystanders. So he rushed to snatch the thumb-printed ballot paper from the regional youth organiser. The youth organiser resisted him and hit the agent with his elbow leading to the agent falling on the ground. The hit also caused a cut on the agent’s forehead causing him to bleed,” the release explained.