No Barrier Between NPP And Volta Region — Amewu

Mr John Peter Amewu, the Volta Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has noted that no individual or group can create an artificial barrier between the NPP and the people of the Volta Region.

He said as a 'son of the land,' he would bring along the NPP to resist clandestine plots to deny the party access to the people in the region.

Mr Amewu was speaking to journalists after addressing members of the NPP from Ho-Polytechnic, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Nurses Training College and the EP University College at the Ho-Polytechnic auditorium.

An aspect of the programme, which was a lecture by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, NPP's Vice-Presidential candidate, was cancelled because of alleged plans to taunt Dr Bawumia. Lectures cancelled

According to the Ghana News Agency report, Mr Amewu said Dr Bawumia, after being briefed on the situation, agreed with regional party executive members to cancel the lecture to avoid an unnecessary show by some hoodlums, which could disturb the peace in the area.

He said Dr Bawumia's trip to the region, with stops at Sogakope, Anloga, Aflao, Akatsi and Dzodze, was successful.

Mr Amewu said at Akatsi,a group which converged on the premises of the Akatsi College of Education ostensibly to scuttle the programme was thrown out of the campus by the students.

The programme, under the auspices of the Ho-Polytechnic chapter of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) of the NPP to inaugurate TESCON wings of tertiary institutions, went ahead after a two-hour delay.

Mr Amewu told the students that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) was not up to the task of governance that would bring comfort to the suffering masses.

Dr Archibald Letsa, first Vice Chairman of the NPP in the region, said the 'writing is on the wall' that the NDC era was about over, and called for unity in the ranks of the NPP.

Douglas Wagba, a patron of the party in the region, also talked about alleged plans to scuttle the Bawumia lecture.

When the GNA arrived at the programme venue at 3:30p.m., 30 minutes before the advertised start of the programme, there were two drumming groups performing.

The group at the gate of the polytechnic was said to be part of the plot to scuttle the programme, while the one pitched near the auditorium was to herald the event.

The police were on hand and picked up one person who allegedly had knives on him. Drama

At the Akatsi College of Education on Friday a group purported to be supporters of the NDC disrupted a lecture that was to have been delivered by Dr Bawumia.

Carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as 'Bawumia Go back, We don't want you;' and 'You are too desperate for power', the group stormed the venue amid brass band music and the chanting of war songs.

According to Joy FM reports, things escalated to the point where there was an exchange of blows between the protesting youth and some NPP supporters.

Other reports suggested he was from meeting students and staff of the Akatsi College of Education and also prevented from making any public speeches during his visit to Akatsi in the Volta Region.

Residents, mainly young people, amid brass band music, motorbike displays and chants, prevented Dr Bawumia from speaking in order to not infect the public with his lies.

The protest which lasted about two hours was eventually resolved by the police.

However, Dr Bawumia was unable to address the gathering and the programme was brought to an abrupt end.

A similar protest took place at the Ho Polytechnic and the lecture has been indefinitely postponed.

The protest by the alleged NDC youth was in apparent retaliation to an incident on Friday where the deputy ministers of education and communication and other government officials were heckled during a programme dubbed 'Campus Connect' at Wesley College in Kumasi.

However, the Regional Secretary for the NPP, Joseph Homenya, said the NPP was psychologically prepared for the unfortunate incidents.

According to him, the party had prior intelligence reports that such retaliatory protests and heckling would occur.