NPP Whips NDC In Bloody Battle

•Anita De-Souza-NDC Women Organiser

YESTERDAY'S BYE-ELECTION in the Atiwa Constituency in the Eastern Region turned bloody when a speeding Toyota Prado vehicle said to be occupied by a top politician allegedly smashed through a temporary wooden barricade, ran over and injured four persons.

Unconfirmed reports claimed one of the victims died from his wounds later in the hospital.

The incident occurred around 3:30pm at Abomosu, the hometown of the constituency's former Member of Parliament (MP) Kwasi Annoh Ankamah, who died on July 1, 2010 in London.

Police fired sporadic gunshots and tear gas canisters at about 4:30pm to disperse rampaging youth before voting ended yesterday.

Sources said the four persons (all male) had allegedly barricaded the road on the outskirts of the town to check incoming vehicles so as to prevent hoodlums from entering the town with weapons to distract the polls. 

When a Toyota Prado, occupied by National Democratic Congress (NDC) Women's Organizer Anita De-Souza, reached the scene, it was stopped by the men.

The four persons then ordered those onboard the car to get down so they could check if they had weapons in it.

The driver of Madam De-Souza's vehicle instantly sparked the car and allegedly ran over the four persons and the wooden structures they had mounted to block the road.

Three of the victims reportedly sustained life-threatening injuries while one of them, whose name was only given as George, 34, died on the way to the Koforidua Government hospital.

Narrating the incident to DAILY GUIDE, an eyewitness said a group of 'Azorka' boys stormed the area and without provocation started beating anyone they believed belonged to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The armed and muscular 'boys' also attacked inhabitants of houses that had NPP posters and flags on them, compelling residents of the area to flee into the bush.

Within 30 minutes, the NDC gangsters had taken total control of the entire town, attacking people randomly while armed police personnel detailed to ensure orderliness watched in awe.  

He said the youth of the town became incensed and thereafter formed a group instantly and marched to face the Azorka boys who, upon realizing the fury and sudden courage of the youth of the town, fled the area.

After chasing away the Azorka boys, the youth then decided to block the road leading to the town to search every car entering the community.

They were carrying out that duty without any problem until the Toyota Prado vehicle appeared on the scene and ran over them at top speed.

Its windows were said to have been smashed during the melee.

 A related report monitored on Accra-based Citi FM put the number of injured persons at seven.

Citi News' Eastern Regional Correspondent, Kwame Appiah Kubi, said that confusion erupted at the Presby Junior High School polling centre at Agbomosu, when a group of NPP youth activists clashed with the Azorka boys of the NDC, who according to them (NPP), had attempted to rig the elections.

In the process, three of the NPP youth activists sustained severe wounds as they were beaten up.

The NPP youth activists were reported to have blocked the major road leading to the Agbomosu Township, which also resulted in another bizarre incident.

Appiah Kubi reported that during the barricade, a car allegedly being driven by Deputy Eastern Regional Minister Baba Jamal and the NDC's National Women's Organizer, Anita De-Souza, ran into the barricade causing severe injuries to four of the youth activists.

Baba Jamal has since denied his presence at the scene or involvement in the bloody incident.

According to the report, the skirmishes scared away over two hundred potential voters who had turned out to cast their ballots at about 4:30 pm.

A member of the NPP, Frances Essiam, alleged that two of the injured NPP activists had died from the incident. She accused Baba Jamal of deliberately running his car into the barrier.

Baba Jamal told Citi News he did not visit the Agbomosu township during the voting. He however admitted that the NDC's National Women's Organizer Anita De-Souza ran into the barrier apparently because there had been an attempt by the irate youth to break her windscreen.

Mr. Baba Jamal denied Frances Essiam's claims that two persons had died as a result of the incident.

Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensa-Bonsu, speaking on the incident from Atiwa, also corroborated reports that some seven NPP supporters had been injured and hospitalized. He could however not confirm the supposed deaths of the two NPP activists.

Tuesday's voting was characterized by allegations of intimidation by executives of the NDC and NPP.  

The four who contested the seat were the PNC's Kalsoum Abdul Kareem, New Vision Party's Apraku Padmore, Emmanuel Atta Twum of the NDC and the NPP's Kwasi Amoako Atta.

The area has registered voters of 61,667 and 113 polling stations.

As at press time, NPP was said to be leading the polls by a wide margin.

It was also gathered that NDC big shots had started disappearing from the scene as the provisional results were being released; and when the NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah showed his face at one of the polling stations, he was hooted out of the place by residents.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Abomosu, Eastern Region