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Two former Presidents have expressed concern about the deployment of military and other security agencies in some parts of four regions in the country.

Former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama said the deployment of the security personnel in the Volta, Oti, Upper East and Upper West regions was creating suspicion and disrupting the way of life of the people.

These were contained in separate statements issued by the offices of the former Presidents.

Rawlings

In his statement signed by Mr Kobina Andoh Amoakwa of the Communications Directorate, former President Rawlings said the presence of the security personnel was generating animosity, especially among innocent citizens whose basic way of life was being disrupted.

A statement, issued by the Office of the former President, said “the deployment along the borders at peacetime, especially at this particular point in time has created so much suspicion and will call for a lot of intelligent flexibility and diligence.”

Difficulties

It said the COVID-19 restrictions had created enough difficulties for most of the people.

“Let us not make it worse with overbearing and intimidating behaviour towards our border dwellers whose livelihood solely depend on activities along the border,” it stated.

The statement said ahead of the voters registration exercise and the December elections, it was important that “we demonstrate a sense of fairness and justice to all individuals and groups of people whilst maintaining the integrity and the sanctity of the process.”

Mr Mahama

For his part, former President Mahama said the unexplained security deployments to those border regions had clearly been timed to coincide with the commencement of the voters registration exercise across the country.

A statement, signed the Special Aide to former President Mahama, Mrs Joyce Bawah Mogtari, said those deployments had begun to create panic and anxiety among residents of the various regions who had been left in no doubt that it had been done as part of a larger strategy to intimidate them into abstaining from the registration exercise which starts today.

End siege

The statement, therefore, called on the government to put an end to what it termed “this needless siege”.

It urged the security personnel not to become the tool by which the rights of innocent Ghanaians are abused.

It called on the people in the Volta, Oti, Upper East and Upper West regions not to be crestfallen over those acts of intimidation.

Register

“Let this motivate you to turn up to register when the exercise begins. That is the only way through which you can retain the power to vote out this government that has put you under siege because of your legitimate political choices,” it stated.

“Register in your numbers so you can vote them out and bring in a government that will respect the rights of all Ghanaians irrespective of their political choices or voting patterns,” it stated.

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