Twenty MPs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) including Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, daughter of late Jerry Rawlings and MP for Klottey-Korle, have been charged for unlawfully protesting at the head office of the Electoral Commission in Accra.
The others are Haruna Iddrisu, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Samuel George, John Abdulai Jinapor, Rockson Defiamekpor, Ras Mubarak, Mutawakilu Adam, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, A.B. Fuseini, Kwabena Minta Akando, Yusif Issaka Jaja, Isaac Adongo, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, James Klutse Avedzi, James Agalga, Collins Dauda, Abdul Rashi Pelpuo and Richard Quashigah.
The minority lawmakers have been charged before an Accra Circuit with unlawful assembly on Tuesday 22 December 2020.
The statement of offence said the NDC MPs unlawfully assembled and conducted themselves “in a manner likely to cause persons in the neighbourhood reasonable fear where a breach of the peace is likely to be occasioned.”
The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Peter Boamah Otokunor, has also been charged with the same offence.
Minority MPs clash with police
Members of Parliament from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday (22 December ) clashed with the police at the Electoral Commission (EC) Headquarters in Accra in an attempt to protest the outcome of the 7 December elections.
The MPs marched from Parliament House to the EC to demand a re-collation of the results from the Techiman South constituency in the just ended elections.
Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu on Monday warned the minority will boycott the inauguration of President Akufo-Addo on 7 January if the results from Techiman South is not re-collated.
Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije was unhappy about the conduct of the police towards them.
“The action of the police, It is uncalled for, it is highly uncalled for. I mean they say we need permit but we are not demonstrating, we are walking, they should just allow us to go and present whatever we have to the EC. We are asking the EC to re collate the results of Techiman South and to make sure we clarify all that we lost in this election,” he said.
Ras Mubarak, the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu said the Minority has not breached any public act with its action to present a petition to the Electoral Commission (EC).
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with embarking on a walk to present a petition to a state institution. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and we find the action of the police very very offensive. The police should be protecting the citizenry, the police should be providing cover and not acting in the manner they are acting. Look at the number of guns here, which member of parliament is carrying a gun,” he said.
Supporters of the largest opposition party have been on rampage ever since Mahama rejected the results of Election 2020.
They have been burning car tyres and clashed with the police in separate instances at the various offices of the Electoral Commission (EC) across the nation.
Winner of Election 2020
On Wednesday (9 December), the chair of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, declared President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the winner of the 2020 presidential election after he defeated the NDC’s Mahama.
Akufo-Addo won 51.59% of the votes cast, against Mahama’s 6,214,889 (a vote share of 47.36%). Akufo-Addo polled 6,730,413 votes out of the total 13,119,460.
However, the NDC has rejected the 2020 results and members describe the election in some parts of the country as riddled with irregularities.
Last week Mahama announced that the party will explore all legal avenues available to overturn what he described as the flawed elections.
Stop violence campaign
Meanwhile, Ghanaians on social media have launched a campaign dubbed #MahamaStopTheViolence to put pressure on Mahama to urge his supporters to desist from violent protests.
At least 26 persons linked to the NDC have been granted bail after they were arrested last week for protesting and causing mayhem at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission, the police said.
Clad in red and black, the supporters besieged the EC headquarters to protest against alleged rigging of the 2020 election in favour of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Journalists covering the protests have also been attacked by the supporters. Ghanaians have now resorted to social media to call out the leader of the largest opposition party to call his supporters to order.
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