Contrary to accounts given to the Emile Short Commission on the Ayawaso Waguon by- election by the East Legon Police Commander, DSP George Asare that he was sidelined from the security operations on the day, the Greater Accra Regional Commander, DCOP Adusei Sarpong has disclosed the former was not left in the cold but rather ignored orders.
“They were to perform general roles but in the case of the East Legon Commander, his name was submitted, and when your name is submitted, you are assigned a specific role to perform but when your name is not submitted, you perform a general task.
He was to be deployed as a patrol officer, that is, officer to lead a patrol team. He didn’t report at the time I was leaving to the polling stations so he might have come after me or he didn’t come but at the time I was leaving, he was not in to be deployed.
I communicated to him on mobile phone, I sent him a message. The operation was done such that aside the men at the polling stations, there were men at the electoral areas. There is another officer, the Accra central District officer. I sent him a message at the same time, and he responded.
It is names of personnel who were sent to the region by the airport division, for the by-election duties and the East Legon commander’s name was captured, he is the first on the list of East Legon personnel who were sent to the region for duties” he narrated to the panel.
According to DCOP Adusei Sarpong, the message was followed by an order to submit his pickup and that same message was sent to some others which they responded accordingly
"He did not report for deployment but the car was submitted and so his account that I sidelined him is not accurate" he said
When asked by the commission if disciplinary measures has been taken against him, the DCOP said, because he submitted the vehicle and he was asked to calm situation down which he did, I haven’t done anything.
Responding to reports made by the East Legon Commander on how he calmed situations at the La Bawalashie polling station and later rushed to cast his vote, the DCOP said, he notified DSP Asare to calm the situations down but as to whether he did that, he is yet to know through an investigative committee setup by the IGP.
In his account, DCOP Sarpong again stated that DSP Asare told him he was taking his child to the hospital.
Commissioner Kwarteng noticing the contradictions in the accounts tasked him to investigate DSP Asare on his activities on the day because he had earlier told the commission, after he had calmed situations down he rushed to cast his vote.
Commissioner Patrick Kwarteng Achampong tasked him to investigate, who calmed situations down and how the Legon Commander was involved in it, how DSP Asare got to the area and in the vehicle in which he was transported in.
Greater Accra Regional Commander, DCOP Adusei Sarpong