The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has disclosed the supposed reasons the Ghana Police Service gave for the change in route of his caucus' planned demonstration against the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and his two deputies.
According to him, the police gave the excuse that the planned route could not be used because of the threat of a military takeover happening in the country, 3news.com reports.
Ayariga accused the police of engaging in intimidation and fear-mongering manoeuvres because there is no way a peaceful demonstration by law-abiding Ghanaians can lead to a coup.
“It is just the police that are trying to engage in fear-mongering and intimidation tactics and telling people that there is a fear that there will be a military coup and it is the demonstration that will serve as a basis for a military coup.
“That is just fear-mongering. That is intimidation tactics that they are using and the rest of us cannot allow the police to fail to perform their basic responsibility and use threats of military coup as the reason why we should allow them not to perform their basic responsibility,” he is quoted to have said.
He added that the route in question was recently used for a demonstration that was peaceful and orderly.
“In the past, we have marched along the same route with the same police providing us with the support and the marches have been very peaceful and very successful and so you can’t tell us that today you have lost that capacity to be able to police us to march along the same routes.”
Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Police Command has invited the Minority in Parliament for a meeting on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, over the upcoming #OccupyBoG demonstration against the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, and his deputies.
The Minority in Parliament has rescheduled its demonstration and picketing originally scheduled for 5th September to September 12, 2023.
The change in date for the demonstration was a result of the outcome of proceedings in court on September 4, 2023.
In a statement signed by the Minority leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson explained that the court was unable to give an instant ruling due to the weight of the preliminary legal objections raised by the lawyers for the Minority in Parliament.
However, the Police in a letter addressed to the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson requested a meeting on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, on the modalities for the demonstration.
BAI/OGB
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Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga