Mills Boy Attacks Akans

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Created on Thursday, 05 April 2012 00:00

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Mills Boy Attacks Akans

Reports reaching DAILY GUIDE indicate that the parliamentary candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Odododiodioo constituency, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has been preventing persons who bear Akan names but either live or work in the constituency from participating in the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise.

According to sources, Nii Lantey, an aide to President Atta Mills, was doing that because he perceived those bearing Akan names as sympathisers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who would vote against him and the NDC on election day if they were allowed to register.

Even though the Electoral Commission (EC) says no one has the power to prevent prospective voters from registering, indications are that Nii Lantey has employed some heavily-built individuals (macho men) who go round the various registration centers to cause mayhem.

When DAILY GUIDE visited one of such registration centers, the railway registration center near Katantamato Accra yesterday, where confusion had broken, this reporter saw some of these macho men harassing some of the supposed Akans who had queued to register.

A number of them who had been duly registered were not issued voter identity cards because challenge forms had been issued against their registration in the constituency.

One of the victims of the brutality of the macho men is Kwabena Odei.

Kwabena said he was beaten because he tried to stop the macho men from harassing potential voters who had queued to register.

According to him, the moment he opened his mouth to beg them to stop the harassment, they pounced on him and started beating him in front of the railway police station.

Mr. Odei, who hails from Amansie West in the Ashanti Region but has been resident in Accra railways area for over 12 years, said he managed to run away and sought refuge at the office of the railways company.

He said about 40 people who went to register at the center in the morning were not issued with voters ID cards because the NDC agents at the center challenged their eligibility.

Mr. Odei said the NDC agents intentionally challenged their eligibility because they bore Akan names and were of the opinion that they would vote for the NPP on election day.

“The moment they check your name on the registration card and find out that you bear an Akan name, the NDC men around will then deliberately challenge your eligibility then the EC official will take your card from you,” he said.

The parliamentary candidate for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the area, Capt. Victor Okai-Koi (Rtd.), told DAILY GUIDE the bases on which some of the people were being challenged were not right.

“I think the EC did not do a good job by educating the people about the challenge processes,” he added.

He said NDC agents had been heckling and verbally abusing potential voters who queued to register.

This, he said, had created tension at the various registration center, a development he described as disturbing.

Mr. Okai-Koi thus urged residents of Odododiodio to persist in enforcing their right to register, irrespective of the intimidation from NDC elements.

He promised to use every lawful means to retrieve the cards for their rightful owners.

By Cephas Larbi

Daily Guide/Ghana