THE RULING New Patriotic Party (NPP) has honoured Eagle Forces, a vigilante group of the party in the Eastern Region.
The vigilante group was presented a special citation recognising and touting its immense contribution towards the victory of the party in the 2016 presidential and parliamentary election by providing security for the party throughout the campaign period and beyond.
The group was among a number party functionaries, specifically the youth wing of the party in the region and at the national level, who were awarded during the Eastern Youth Conference and Awards held on Sunday in Koforidua on the theme: ‘Celebrating Youth Voluntarism and Hard Work to Sustain Political Power in 2020 and Beyond.’
The award ceremony was organised under the auspices of the Eastern Regional Youth Wing of the NPP.
The Citation for the Eagle Forces was presented by the National Youth Organiser of the party, Mr Sammy Awuku.
Political vigilantism gained notoriety before, during and after the 2016 election. The Delta and Invincible Forces within the ruling NPP have engaged in several lawless and violent actions, including an attack on a court to free members of their group who were standing trial.
The group attacked a Regional Security Coordinator and evicted him from his office in Kumasi in protest against his appointment.
The Eagle Forces in April attacked the Eastern Regional head office of the National Health Insurance Authority and succeeded in locking up the office in protest against appointments made by the President.
The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has embarked on a nationwide stakeholders’ consultation forum to solicit support to eradicate political vigilantism from the political environment of Ghana.
CODEO has emphasised that political vigilante groups must be disbanded because the groups pose threat to the security of the country.The National Peace Council has consistently impressed upon political parties in the country to disband and do away with vigilante groups in order to sustain the stability of the country.
Security analysts believe if care is not taken to stem the menace, it may lead to the formation of rebel and militant groups.
Awards
The Eastern Regional Youth Conference and Awards also honoured all constituency youth organisers of the party in the region. They included TESCON, financiers and some national executives like the acting national chairman, Mr Freddie Blay and National Youth Organiser, Samuel Awuku.
The Eastern Regional Youth Organiser of the NPP, Mr Jerry Opoku, said the awards were in recognition of the hard work of the awardees which enabled the party to capture power.
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