It was a game of �survival of the fittest� as some National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth and activists with the group �Volta NDC Youth for Action� were scattered, heckled and arrested by the police during a demonstration against Volta Regional Minister Joseph Amenowode and the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Isaac Kodobissah.
The demonstration, which started peacefully from the RTC Park in Ho through the principal streets, was only disrupted at about 1:40pm by the police when the group was a few metres away from the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) where they intended to present their petition.
Two leaders of the group have been suspended by the Ho Central Executive. They are Daniel Idikoko, Ho Sava branch chairman and Alhaji Bello, former branch chairman of the same constituency.
According to the Ho Central constituency secretary, Stanley Glate, who announced the suspension at a press conference after the arrest of the demonstrators, the two had flouted party regulations by associating with an unknown group that was using the logo and name of the party for mischievous activities.
He said, �With the power vested in me as the constituency secretary by my executive committee, I thereby suspend Daniel Idikoko and that the vice chairman of Sava branch NDC will take over as the chairman, pending the upcoming by-elections of the party a few weeks from now.
�Alhaji Bello has also been suspended for the same reason and is no more recognised as a member.�
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Ho central branch of the party, Hanock Bansah, explained that he was not aware of the said press conference.
Some of the placards had inscriptions such as �Greedy Bastards Must Go, Mr. President�; �Volta Is Shaking, Act Now!�; �Your Silence On The Regional Minster And The Ho Municipal Chief Executive Is Killing Volta NDC�; �Mr. President Act Now, Volta NDC Loves You�; �Amenowode Stop Insulting Out Chiefs� and �Kodobisa and Amenowode Must Go�.
The police team, led by the Regional Operations Officer, Dominic Agbozo and Samuel Owusu-Berko, intercepted the group between the Volta Regional Museum and the Pensioners Hall and asked them who their leader was. �We have no leader. We are all the same,� they replied.
The police therefore arrested 12 of the 30 demonstrators.
Some of them were heckled while others were dragged into vehicles. Others were also given a hot chase as they tried to escape arrest.
The Regional Police Commander, Alex Bedie, told journalists that even though the police were aware of the demonstration, the group was arrested because it did not have any permit to demonstrate.
He explained that he met three of the leaders, Daniel Idikoko, Charles Dartey and Vincent Hodoli, all NDC members and after deliberations, they all agreed that the group would wait for some of their members who, at the time, were in Accra to meet the Deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Segbefia before deciding on the way forward.
As a result, he said the demonstration was supposed to be suspended until they had returned to the police, but the group flouted the agreement and demonstrated.
That, according to the police boss, made their action unlawful.
He added that an earlier meeting with the regional minister and the regional NDC chairman revealed that the group was not recognised by the party and that their use of the party�s logo was unlawful.
He added that the group, by demonstrating, was obstructing traffic, eventually disturbing the public and obstructing government business.
�We will not sit down for them to obstruct government business, that is why we had to stop them,� he said.
�There is no political interference in this because we acted independently and professionally. In any case, the matter is an internal NDC issue not NDC and any other party, so why should anyone think it is political?�
He however could not tell if they would be processed for court.
Four hours after their arrest, the group was released on bail.
Alhaji Bello, a leader of group said, after his arrest that he was not surprised at the outcome of the demonstration.
He alleged that some of their members were constantly intimidated, prior to the demonstration, to the extent that some were invited for questioning days before the event.
He said the action of the police was unfortunate because they had sought permission already and that the police told them they could go ahead but they could not guarantee their security if anything happened.
Alhaji Bello refuted allegations that the group was not known by the party because they had used the same letterheads and embarked on similar demonstrations during the erstwhile Kufuor administration for the same reasons.
Many market women were chanting in support of the protesters as some gave them water and showered praises on them for their bravery.
Some taxi drivers were waving at them as well as tooting their horns in support.
A source told Daily Guide that at the time of the arrest, the regional minister, Joseph Amenowode, was hiding at the Dela Cathedral of the EP Church in Ho while the Municipal Chief Executive, Isaac Kodobissah, was nowhere to be found near his office.
Some of the persons arrested were Winfred Agbenorkplido, former Ho Central constituency chairman, his sister Rose Agbenorkplido, Alhaji Bello, Luke Ashialey, a concerned youth, Awuku Samuel and Mawuli Agbodza.
Source: Fred Duodu
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |