The Eastern regional first vice chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Omar Bodinga, was on Monday arrested by the New Juaben Municipal Police Command for physically assaulting Wahab Amadu, a communicator of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) during a live political radio programme on Emak FM in Koforidua, the Eastern regional capital.
Alhaji Bodinga was, however, granted bail hours after writing his caution statement.
Mr Bodinga on Thursday stormed the studios of Emak FM, a Koforidua based radio station and in an all-die-be-die Rambo-style fashion physically assaulted Wahab Amadu, with a weapon which was later discovered to be a screw driver for making libelous statement against him.
In an interview with the New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, Supt. Richardson Kumeko, he said the suspect (Mr. Bodinga) has been granted police enquiry bail while investigations are ongoing, adding that, the police is treating the case as a criminal matter without recourse to political undertone.
He said the suspect would be charged with assault when investigations are complete for prosecution. Supt Kumeko, however, bemoaned poor security set-up in various radio stations in Koforidua with a call to owners to tighten security to avoid such incidents in future.
The NDC earlier at a press conference addressed by the regional communications director of the party, Mark Oliver Kevor, described the action of Mr Bodinga as criminal and must be dealt as such without recourse to political colour to serve as deterrent to violence minded politicians in the country.
According to him, the move by the 1st vice chairman of the party is a mere rehearsal of political terrorism orchestrated by the opposition party to be implemented ahead of the 2016 general election in order to win power.
He said the NDC in the region would find its own way of protecting members from such unwarranted physical attacks if the police fail to enforce the law.
Francis Annor Dompreh and Ransford Owusu Boakye, aspiring Deputy Regional Secretary and Organizer respectively have also condemned the action by the NPP chairman and called on other civil society organizations and believers of democracy to do same since violence is not the way to go in addressing displeasure in a democratic dispensation.
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