EC Boss In Amenfi East Spits On University Student

The District Director of the Electoral Commission in the Amenfi East District of the Western Region, Madam Juliana Asante, has been accused of spitting on a university student. The Amenfi East District Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Isaac Kumnipa, confirmed in an interview with The Finder that indeed a case of that nature has been reported by the victim. When The Finder called Madam Asante to verify the information, the phone was answered by somebody who said Madam Asante was not available at the time. The District Police Commander, on his part, would, however, not provide details of the case since the matter was currently under investigation. The incident is said to have occurred on Saturday, January 10, 2015. "The Director spat on Mr Frederick Kumah, a student of the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the leader of the students� group called WAESU in the Amenfi East District." Information indicates that Mr Kumah enquired about alleged transfer of voters, only for the EC boss to spit on him. According to the victim, at exactly 12.30pm, WAESU received information that some people had been bussed in an Urvan caravan vehicle from an unknown destination and were in the process of transferring their votes at the EC office in Wassa Akropong. He said he went to the EC�s office at 1pm to meet 20 people who were believed to be non-residents of the constituency. He explained that through interactions with them, it was established that they had come to transfer their votes from other regions. �When asked who bussed them, their leader said it was one guy contesting for an assemblyman [position] in one of the electoral areas," Mr Kumah said. According to eyewitnesses, the suspicion of the victim was that if it was transfer of votes, why was it organised secretly, and why the bussing. The most fishy aspect of it was that the person who supervised the conduct of this exercise at the EC�s office was a well-known political activist named Mr Samuel Opoku, who, as far as it was known, had no official appointment whatsoever with the EC. It was there he realised that no political party had been informed about the exercise and some executives of political parties were there; he then questioned the fairness of the exercise and the role of activists. A source narrated that Mr Kumah approached Madam Asante, the EC boss, to plead for the suspension of the transfer exercise, given the questionable circumstance under which it was being conducted and the agitation that it was generating, for the sake of peace and stability. This, The Finder learnt, did not go down well with the EC. She got angry and started shouting at everybody and questioning their locus in interfering with her work. She retorted that she was not answerable to any of them and if they had any problem, they could address it to Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. At this stage, Mr Kumah pointed out to her that if that was the case, then her outfit should have notified the public and the political parties about the exercise. Madam Asante got infuriated and spat in the face of the student for telling her what she ought to have done. Even after the incident, the victim pointed out to her that the voters� register was not her personal property and that it was a public document and it was his responsibility as a citizen to ensure transparency, fairness and credibility in any exercise leading to national elections. According to eyewitnesses, Madam Asante hit the victim's knee with a wooden chair and further threatened to deal with him. The accused phoned the District Police Commander, DSP Kumnipa, who drove to the centre and Madam Asante asked the Commander to arrest Mr Kumah. The victim has lodged an official complaint at the Wassa Akropong Police Station. He went to a hospital and is now awaiting the report and police action.