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NPP Canada Exhorts Patriotic Citizens & Condemns Police Brutality

By NPP - Canada
Diaspora (Canada) NPP Canada Exhorts Patriotic Citizens  Condemns Police Brutality
SEP 19, 2015 LISTEN

NPP Canada wishes to thank all patriots who braved the brutality of the politicised Ghana Police Force, to peacefully demonstrate to draw attention to the need for a credible Voters Register, on September 16, 2015.

We also add our voice to the growing number of civil society groups, in condemning the unwarranted brutality meted out by some Police Officers to those patriotic citizens.

Article 42 of THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REBUPLIC OF GHANA, 1992, states that "Every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda."

The NPP has recently submitted evidence which shows that after only reviewing 10% of the Voters Register of Ghana and Togo, it found a whopping 76,000+ people registered on both, using reputable recognition technology.

Worse, almost all the duplicate registrations, seemed to have been wilfully scanned into the Ghana Register and not even done in person. This smacks collusion by some EC officers and is a very serious allegation which must be investigated.

This ongoing review by the NPP, when done, is likely to explain why only Ghana has a statistically impossible 54% of its population on the Voters Register. Most other African countries do not come even close to the 50% mark. Many are below 40%.

In fact, even the NDC General Secretary has admitted that the current Register has a lot of minors on it, contrary to the Article 42 of the Constitution.

So, clearly, measures must be put in place to redo the Voters Register, as well as ensure that auditability is built into it, to ensure sufficient credibility of the Register, going into the pivotal 2016 elections. Donors as they always do, we are sure, will be ready to fund such positive efforts.

Nigeria and many other countries, with even less anomalous Registers than Ghana’s, have had cause to redo their Registers and significantly improve them, leading to much more credible elections.

The alternative is not another disputed election petition in our courts but, likely unstoppable violence and chaos, in case of another election dispute, come 2016.

It is in these veins that we especially call on the Police Service, constituted by the President and chaired by the Vice President to investigate the brutalisation of patriots, who went out to only call attention to the need for a credible Register.

Article 12 Section 1 of THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REBUPLIC OF GHANA, 1992 states that “The fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in this Chapter shall be respected and upheld by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary and all other organs of government and its agencies and, where applicable to them, by all natural and legal persons in Ghana, and shall be enforceable by the Courts as provided for in this Constitution.”

Therefore, citizens who were beaten up by a politicised Police Force should sue the Service and individual unprofessional officers, wherever practicable.

We also entreat the injured, including some who are said to be losing their sights, to seek medical attention. If this insensitive Mahama government will not help treat them, they should seek requisite assistance from civil organisations.

The Police Force needs to also know that change will come soon, and likely with it, a government which will not shield politicised and brutal Police Officers, but, will enforce the laws which protect the fundamental human rights of all citizens.

---Signed---
Kwame Abrefah.
Chairman, NPP Canada.
Contact: 647-977-3753.
Http://www.nppcanada.org

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