Leadership of the ‘Let My Votes Count Alliance’ (LMVCA) and their affiliate pressure groups pushing for a new voters register for the 2016 general elections have given indications of their intention to hold another picketing come next week.
A day after police brutalities led to an abrupt end of their march to the headquarters of the Electoral Commission (EC) which left in its wake many causalities, some of who are still receiving treatment, leadership of the LMCVA, the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), Movement for Change (MFC), the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CFFE) and some political parties served notice that “we are going back next week to finish the work we set out to do.”
That, they said was because “the police prevented us from picketing the EC and presenting our petition. We, therefore, have unfinished business.”
They have therefore announced Tuesday, September 22, 2015 as the new date not only to picket but also present their petition for a new voters register to the Commission and have since notified the police to that effect.
Resolve
At a press conference in Accra yesterday, Convener of the LMVCA, David Asante said “we shall not be stopped” while serving notice to the President and the police service that “we shall not be moved, we shall not be harassed, beaten, intimidated, brutalized and cowed by police violence to stop our campaign for a change in the register.”
He did not fall short of condemning the action of the police whose acts of brutality have left many with various degrees of injuries with one person losing an eye, an act they considered “excessive, arbitrary and brutish use of violent force” by the police against unarmed protesters, even after they were dispersing, as desired by the police.
For them, “this is what dictators do to their own people” and therefore expect President Mahama to come out to condemn this unlawful act of violence by the police against the demonstrators.
According to them, “our entire mission yesterday was to take a constitutional step to push for a clean register for a clean election to keep our country clean from post-election conflict in the future”, he noted and that “only a President who is bent on being a beneficiary of rigged election would unleash the police like he did yesterday (Wednesday) against people pushing for clean electoral process.”
Notice
But this time around, Mr Asante said “we shall also demonstrate against police violence” while charging Ghanaians to stand up against what he called “elective dictatorship.”
The petition of this renewed campaign, with the hashtag #ChangeTheVotersRegisterNow which is expected to be presented to the EC next Tuesday, he said had so far been signed by more than 5,000 entities, including individuals, associations and groups, such as market women, commercial drivers, street hawkers, labourers, students, youth groups, professionals, etc.
“The petitioners are expressing their constitutional right and duty to have their voices heard by the EC and all other stakeholders on this very important matter; a matter, which we believe can make or break the fortunes of Ghana’s democracy”, he noted.
The group has however stated their intentions to go to court to pursue the case of police brutality on innocent protesters.
“We are currently piecing together all the information we can about yesterday’s incident, including the allegation by a scientist, who was an eye witness, suggesting that the Police used nitrous oxide (sleeping gas) on the protesters”, David Asante indicated.
No comments:
Post a Comment