NDC vigilante troops hijack Assin North polls

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has marshaled troops of political vigilante groups to invade the Assin North Constituency of the Central Region, as part of the party’s operational strategies to win the Constituency’s by-election scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday June 27, according to a leaked audio recording.

The said leaked recording, which The New Publisher has studied, contains the voice of a person believed to be once Yahuza Fusseini who introduced himself as Commander of the Eagle Forces, a pro-NDC task force based in the Obuasi and largely regarded as a vigilante group in deeds.

The said audio claims that leadership of the NDC in Accra has called on the said Yahuza Fusseini to assemble members of the Eagle Forces and lead them to invade the Assin North Constituency today Monday June 25, ahead of tomorrow’s by-election.

Here are transcribed excerpts of the leaked audio: “Per the arrangement, we from Obuasi West have been given one side of the Constituency and there is no other group with us there. The Kumasi group and Obuasi East groups have been given another side of the constituency and they would be there alone. No one crosses into another group’s lane.

“So let’s meet on Friday so we plan and share ideas. We have been given 19 polling stations and we need to know how to share our people there. No matter what work you are doing, seek permission from your boss and let’s go to do this.

“We have been asked to go and sleep in the town a day before the elections. It is a difficult task because we do not know the town. But when you look at it well, that is the best way. If you do not know the town, how do you enter it? That is why we are being asked to enter the town a day ahead of the elections. So the town’s people would get to know us.

“It is our seat. Let’s retain it. The last time we were leading them by over 3,000 votes. If the NPP gets the seat, I swear God, the type of things they want to pass in Parliament, you have no idea.

We are the original NDC who are used for by-elections. Lets us all go to this bi-election and win this seat so that National would know that we the Eagle Force were part of the victory”

The audio explained further: “We have 19 polling stations given to us and these are the strong holds of the NDC. The strategy is that the NPP would ask the people to not come out to vote. Our work would be to move from house to house to tell the people to come out and vote.
“When we are going out, don’t fear anything. Nothing would happen to us. Let us meet on Friday to know who and who we are leaving town with.”

VIGILANTISM BANNED

This is happening at a time Ghana has passed into law, the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019, which bans acts of vigilantism in the country, disbands all forms of vigilante groups.

Under the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019, a person who directly or indirectly instigates or solicits the activity of a vigilante, facilitates or encourages vigilantism, or conceals a vigilante to avoid lawful arrest, commits an offence, and is liable, on conviction, to a term of imprisonment of not less than ten (10) years and not more than fifteen (15) years.

Vigilante groups are basically noted for unleashing mayhem and all manner of unlawful and criminally inclined election related activities.

Their activities have been a pain in the neck of Ghana’s thriving democracy and right fitting stakeholders in the political ecosystem sighed in relief at the coming into being of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019.

Meanwhile the pre election tension is nearing boiling point in Assin North as the June 27 date draws closer. It is still unclear how the country’s security apparatus would respond to the upcoming danger and the threats of vigilante operatives lacing boots to take over the polls.