Akufo-Addo condemns Ayawaso West Wuogon Violence

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed his displeasure concerning the acts of violence that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election on Thursday, 31 January 2019.

A group of macho men believed to be security agents fired into a crowd of voters at the La-Bawaleshie JHS polling station injuring six persons.

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) pulled out of the election due to the shooting.

Reacting to the shooting incident, President Nana Akufo-Addo in a statement, said: “The isolated incident of violence, which occurred in the early stages of the election, was unfortunate and regrettable, and I condemn it in no uncertain terms.”

Nana Akufo-Addo noted that a by-election should be a peaceful and happy event, no matter how competitive.

He noted that the police is committed to conducting a rapid inquiry into the matter, and expect all persons who are found culpable, at the end of the process, to face the full rigours of the law.

Below is Nana Akufo-Addo’s full statement:

I congratulate Lydia Seyram Alhassan on her emphatic victory in Thursday’s by-election, in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency. The electorate in the constituency has made an excellent choice, and I am confident she will serve their interests in Parliament with distinction.

The isolated incident of violence, which occurred in the early stages of the election, was unfortunate and regrettable, and I condemn it in no uncertain terms. A by-election should be a peaceful and happy event, no matter how competitive. The Police is committed to conducting a rapid inquiry into the matter, and I expect all persons who are found culpable, at the end of the process, to face the full rigours of the law.

It is important also to state that the New Patriotic Party, the party from which my Government was born, would never dream of competing with any other political party in unleashing violence on the Ghanaian people. Our policy, as espoused by the founding father of our political tradition, is “to liberate the energies of the people for the growth of a property-owning democracy in this land, with right to life, freedom and justice as the principles to which the Government and laws of the land should be dedicated in order specifically to enrich life, property and liberty of each and every citizen”, and that is what my Government is doing.

I commend the Electoral Commission for the professionalism it displayed in conducting a free, fair, transparent and credible election, despite the isolated challenge it faced.

The Ghanaian people have, again, demonstrated to the world their deep attachment to the principles of democratic accountability and the rule of law. Ghana’s democracy is robust, and will only grow from strength to strength.