State sponsored the raid at our offices -NPP Alleges

The Opposition New Patriotic Party has alleged that last Monday raid at the party’s head office was sponsored by the state to portray the NPP as a violent party.

Addressing a press conference on Friday Acting National Chairman of the party, Mr. Freddie Blay stated categorically that officials of the National Security were involved in the raid adding, that the raid was an attack on democracy, hence the need for all to condemn it.

“Our findings so far suggest that what happened on Monday was a wickedly orchestrated attempt to turn this head office into a bloodbath and with one aim only: to score a political point against the country’s largest opposition party, as we draw ever closer to the next general elections,” he pointed out.

According to Mr. Freddie Blay, “The details unfolding from the Monday raid are very frightening saying “Intelligence information we have picked up and the manner in which the raids occurred and the response by the security agencies all point to one direction: that the raids, although “unofficial”, were done on the orders of highly placed people within the National Security set up.

“After a careful review of the invasion, evidence, and subsequent events to date, the NPP is in no doubt that the attack on our offices was conducted by the State, specifically, using certain rogue elements within the National Security set up, in full collaboration with some identifiable individuals now bent on destroying the fortunes of the NPP,” Mr. Freddie Blay revealed.

The press conference was attended by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the running mate of the NPP flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Chairman of the party’s Council of Elders, CK Tedam, Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Ishmael Ashittey, Ashanti Regional Chairman Mr. Antwi Boasiako, and former National Chairman, Haruna Esseku.

Others who attended the press conference were former deputy Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh IC Quaye, MP for Kwadaso Dr. Akoto Afriyie and former General Secretary of the party Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie.

Scores of supporters of the NPP clad in red and black, congregated at the party’s head office on Friday to protest against the unlawful ransacking of the party’s headquarters.

It would be recalled that some men dressed in military uniform and in military vehicles and led by others in plain clothes stormed the party’s offices in Asylum Down and Kokomlemle, taking away items such as a computer hard drive belonging to the party’s Director of Elections.

Some eleven people arrested in connection with the raid have been put before a court and granted bail.

Although the leader of the group that raided the offices has confessed he is an NPP member who carried out the act with other disgruntled members of the party, the NPP insists, Mr. Bismarck Danso is a member of the National Democratic Congress and not the NPP as he claims.

The Ghana Armed Forces on Monday issued a press statement indicating that it has not officially sanctioned deployment of its personnel to undertake any such operation at the NPP offices.

Mr. Freddie Blay who accused the National Security officials for the planting weapons at the party office raised the following questions;

Why was the Office of the Director of Electoral Affairs the one singled out for theft of confidential documents, both in electronic and paper formats? Which group stands to benefit from getting its hands on vital, confidential information about our election plans, including documents on the current issue of a new voters’ register?

Who authorized the use of military vehicles for that dawn operation? Who authorized the use of the weapons used for the two raids? Who authorized the use of the Police patrol vehicle? Which Police officers were in the patrol vehicle? Why was the first set of Police deployed to the NPP head office only interested in the weapons in the sack and arresting our security guard, but not the raiders? Why did the Police not arrest the men in military uniform? and Is it because the Police were satisfied with the identity of the purported military officers who handed?.

Story by: Michael Creg Afful

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