Credible information available to the New Statesman indicates that, the National Democratic Congress, led by the National Security co-ordinator, Larry Gbevlo Lartey, in a ploy reminiscent of what was used in the Phase One of the ongoing biometric registration exercise, has recruited thugs to disrupt the Phase Two of the biometric voter registration exercise in some polling stations in the Ashanti Region....

According to sources at the Ashanti Regional Security Council, these thugs, popularly referred to by the NDC as “Pressure Group”, are to be given police and military uniforms to purposely invade 60 polling stations in the Ashanti region over the next 10 days to cause confusion and arrest Electoral Commission officials and innocent bystanders.

This diabolical plan was hatched Monday morning at the residency of the Ashanti Regional Minister, in the presence of the Ashanti Regional EC Director, as well as security capos of the region.

The source at the Ashanti RegSec has hinted the New Statesman that “in their opinion, the disruption of the registration in centres in NPP strongholds was a success and this must be replicated nationwide.”

The source further revealed to the New Statesman that this plan would be replicated in areas perceived to be strongholds of the New Patriotic Party, particularly in the Eastern and Brong-Ahafo regions.

Further hints gathered by the paper also point to the fact that the NDC plans using thugs riding on unlicensed motorbikes to go round and disrupt the registration exercise in many NPP strongholds, as it happened in Old Tafo and Nsawam.

But NPP Regional executives in the Ashanti Region who spoke to the New Statesman reiterated their firm resolve to go to every length to ensure that the registration exercise pass off without incidence.

“We encourage residents to ensure internal and eternal vigilance as well as maintaining community protection of registration centres. Hoodlums who plan on frustrating and disrupting this process will be dealt with decisively,” an NPP executive told the paper.

Information picked up by the New Statesman also indicates that the NDC has been encouraging all Liberian refugees in Buduburam to register to vote in the December polls.

Our intelligence also indicates that the NDC is bent on going every length to prevent students in the various Senior High Schools from registering, thus depriving them of the right to decide who their next President would be.

The NDC fears students have become disillusioned with the level of governance that has resulted in an unprecedented level of joblessness in the country, leaving the youth with hope going into the future.

Fiifi Arhin

Source: The Statesmanonline