Some EC officials met at the Airport City Escape Hotel Saturday morning, following a court injunction secured by Ningo Prampram MP, Sam George, against a workshop in his constituency.
The MP whose efforts to stop the said meeting at the hotel’s premises Saturday proved futile further went ahead to report the situation to the Airport police and subsequently the Greater Accra Operations Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Supt. Kwesi Ofori who advised that the case be followed up with the Airport police.
As it stands, some executives of the party, led by Deputy General Secretary, Peter Otukonor and National Organiser, Joshua Akamba are at the Police Headquarters in Accra, lodging an official complaint against the EC over what they say is a breach of the social distancing protocol.
Joshua Akamba, in an interview with Joynews called for the arrest of the Electoral body’s leaders, citing a similar violation of the law by a pastor and some church members of the Church of Pure Christ in the Volta Region and a subsequent jail sentence for both.
“Just about a week or two ago, a pastor was arrested and sentenced to 4 years in jail. We know that the president has asked us all to stay, and he has asked that those with essential service duty should be exempted and you and I know that the EC was not one that was mentioned. We had information on Saturday and reported to police at airport, we kept calling and they could not help and when we passed there, we identified Dr. Bossman and other people who were there and so we are here to officially lodge complaint to the police and that nobody is above the laws of this country.” He said.
Adding,
“We expect the police to arrest them and prosecute them equally the same way they did to that pastor in the Volta Region suffering today, Sam George took the action (court injunction), so we (NDC) are also taking the criminal aspect of it which is the law”
Police statement
Meanwhile, Greater Accra Operations Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Supt. Kwesi Ofori, who was at the City Escape Hotel with his men Saturday morning noted, that they met some less than 20 EC officials at the lobby of the hotel and not in an official meeting.
“We met some officials at the lobby and we’ve spoken to them. We did not see any formal meeting going on but we met some officials at the lobby. Less than 20 officials. We have advised that following their complaint, they should go back to the airport police, see the district commander and follow formalities.
Sam George's injunction
Sam George secured an injunction against the Electoral Commission's decision to hold a workshop at the City Escape Hotel in his Constituency.
The ex-parte injunction was granted by the Tema High Court.
The EC’s planned workshop for its directors and deputies was scheduled for April 24 to 29 at Prampram to discuss the compilation of a new voter register.
The meeting was to be held in three different batches in order to observe the social distancing protocols amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus in Ghana.
The plans for new register are currently on suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The voters' registration exercise was initially scheduled to begin on April 18, due to COVID-19.
Following the suspension, the EC had said it is collaborating with health experts to decide on a more favourable date depending on the prevalence rate of the virus.
Pastor, church members jailed 4 years for flouting ban on social gatherings
A pastor from Tongor-Abui in the Volta region was jailed four years with two others, for defying the President’s ban on social gatherings.
Sampson Agakpe, the founder of the Church of Pure Christ, assistant pastor, Maxwell Dzogoedzikpe and church secretary, Samuel Agakpe were arrested on April 12 for holding a church service contrary to the president’s orders.
Prosecutors say more than 50 persons attended the service, all of whom managed to escape when police stormed the venue.
All three pleaded guilty when they were arraigned before the Kpando Circuit Court, after which they were fined GHC 13,200. Failure to pay this by the given time attracted a 4-year jail sentence for the accused.
Joshua Akamba is National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress