NDC Sounds Alarm on Unheeded Calls for Justice and Accountability in Wake of Ayawaso West Wuogon Tragedy
On the fifth anniversary of the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye-election disturbances, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a stern statement condemning the Akufo-Addo government’s failure to implement the recommendations of the Emil Short Commission of Enquiry.
Five years ago, heavily armed men from the national security of Ghana disrupted the bye-election, resulting in indiscriminate firing of sophisticated assault rifles and life-changing injuries. The NDC withdrew from the election, marking the lowest turnout in the history of the 4th Republic.
Despite a Commission of Enquiry’s findings, the government has neglected to address the victims’ plight, leaving them to struggle in an economy allegedly destroyed by the Akufo-Addo government’s ineptitude. The NDC accuses the government of using violence to secure the 2020 general elections, pointing to a rising death toll.
HON. FIFI KWETTEY, the General Secretary of NDC, called on the government to urgently implement the Commission’s recommendations, emphasizing the need for relief to those affected by the tragic event. The statement urged Ghanaian voters to unite and vote out the Akufo-Addo government in the upcoming elections, citing a stained democracy and a desire for development in peace and unity.
As the nation commemorates this dark episode, the NDC’s call for justice and change resonates, reflecting the ongoing struggle for accountability and the healing of wounds inflicted five years ago.
Read the full statement below:
NDC STATEMENT ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AYAWASO WEST WUOGON BYE-ELECTION DISTURBANCES.
Exactly five years ago today, heavily armed men from the national security of Ghana invaded the bye-election for the replacement of the then deceased member of Parliament of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
In the confusion that followed, many persons received life-changing injuries from the indiscriminate firing of sophisticated assault rifles that the state sanctioned terrorists wielded.
The National Democratic Congress withdrew from the bye-election and that particular bye-election recorded the lowest turn out of any election in the history of the 4th Republic.
The Akufo-Addo government set up a high powered Commission of Enquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shameful episode and make appropriate recommendations. The sad reality today however is that the government has refused to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry thus leaving the seriously injured and economically challenged victims to fend for themselves in an economy destroyed beyond recognition by the singular ineptitude of the Akufo-Addo government.
This is the last year of the insensitive Akufo-Addo government which, with the Ayawaso West Wuogon disturbances as a focal learning point, managed to kill eight more people in order to win the 2020 general elections.
In the face of all this, the NDC calls on the government to immediately carry out the recommendations of the Emil Short Commission of Enquiry to bring quick and long lasting relief to the victims of that dastardly event.
To bring end to the darkness that has befallen our homeland since the coming of the Akufo-Addo led government of the NPP, the NDC calls on all voters in Ghana to stand ready to massively vote out the Akufo-Addo government which has stained our democracy with the blood of innocent Ghanaians. Ghana deserves to develop in peace and unity all the time.
HON. FIFI KWETTEY
(GENERAL SECRETARY, NDC)
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