Freelance Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has expressed his displeasure over the continuous slandering of the people of Volta region particularly the people of Ketu south by members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The investigative Journalist opined that the claim by the NPP and its members that Togolese infiltrate the region’s electoral roll is false and malicious. He believes the lies and malice by the NPP and its members against the people of Volta is because Voltarians generally vote against the ruling party.
He could not fathom why the NPP would “keep on lying and maligning a group of people because they don’t vote for your party.”
Mr. Azure wants the NPP and its members to stop the slanderous acts and comments against people from that part of the country as they have not committed any crime by predominantly voting against the elephant party.
His comments follow an interview with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ketu South Municipality, Elliot Edem Agbenowu on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on claims that the regional minister had deployed several military personnel into the municipality.
The MCE while debunking the claims gave contradictory accounts of an alleged Togolese man who attempted to register in the ongoing voter’s registration exercise. He claimed a suspected foreigner bolted into the bush when he interrogated him in Ewe to ascertain whether he is Ghanaian or not.
When asked by the host how the supposed Togolese was able to escape in the presence of the security personnel that escorted him and the minister, he said he and the minister did not meet the man but his “boys” had an encounter with the man and later reported to him clearly contradicting his earlier statement. When he was reminded of this, he claimed he spoke to the supposed Togolese from a distant of 100 meters away.
The NPP has consistently claimed Togolese and other nationals enter the country to participate in the country’s electoral processes. The MP for Adansi-Asokwa, K.T Hammond had said that the deployment of military to the Volta and Oti regions prior to the voter’s registration exercise was to prevent foreigners from infiltrating the electoral roll. Though the government debunked this claim by the ruling party’s MP, other political and some individuals believe it was an attempt by the government to disenfranchise people of the region. This some Ghanaians including the president of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede who hails from the Volta region say does not augur well for the development of the country.
