Minority Leader in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Efutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has alleged that the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was aware of, and supported, the violent incidents that occurred during the recent parliamentary rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Friday, August 1, the Minority leader, responding to a question on whether it surprises him that there had been no prosecutions following the violence recorded during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, expressed concern and suspicion about the silence of authorities.
“Obviously, there’s no doubt in my mind that the party hierarchy knew what was happening. They supported them. Of course, the leaders decided to stay away from the crime scene,” he said.
He explained that intelligence gathered before and during the poll pointed to deliberate planning.
“We are not kids. I mean, we had intel that that was what they were going to do, and they followed through,” he added, describing the move as a dangerous tactic by the party to distance itself from violent acts while indirectly endorsing them.
According to him, such actions are dangerous and set a bad precedent. He warned that the youth often used in such acts of political violence may later turn against the very parties who recruit them.
“I keep also cautioning the NDC, you use them one day, when you don’t satisfy them, they would unleash that violence on you,” he cautioned.
When asked whether a failure by both parties to resolve the issues from the Ablekuma North rerun could lead to heightened tensions in the upcoming Akwatia by-election, Mr Afenyo-Markin acknowledged the concern but maintained that the NPP remains committed to peaceful democratic processes.
“No, NPP is a law-abiding party. I do not think that violence has helped any democracy. We must not encourage it. We must not support it. We should rather take steps to give a positive outlook to democracy,” he stated.
He urged politicians to de-escalate tensions and protect the voting process.
“People must do their campaign. The process of voting must be safeguarded. When it comes to the counting, we should allow the space for a fair, transparent system. I think we should all work towards that,” he added.
He also referenced the upcoming by-election in Akwatia, expressing hope that the NDC would choose a peaceful path.
“The NDC’s posture in Akwatia will tell us whether they are turning a new leaf; they would want democracy to be without violence. So let’s see how they react in Akwatia,” he noted.
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