The UK and Ireland Chapter of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has raised concerns with the treatment of disqualified presidential aspirants by the Ghana Police Service.
According to the PPP members, some of the treatment handed the candidates are “over the top”.
After disqualifying 12 presidential aspirants from the 2016 elections, the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) reported some of the aspirants to the police and the Attorney General.
Arrest warrants were, consequently, issued by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service for some while others have been asked to turn themselves in.
‘Notorious Montie 3’
But the UK and Ireland branch of the PPP said the “crime” of these potential presidents do not even compare with that committed by the “notorious” ‘Montie 3’.
“Mind you, there were recent cases of serious crimes by the notorious ‘muntie three’ which ended up on the desk of our Head of State for a Presidential pardon which was granted as a matter of course because the three happened to be members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“If we compare the errors or mistakes on the forms submitted to the Electoral Commission (EC) by Dr. Nduom and other Presidential aspirants to the threats by the “muntie three” which one should be classified as worse than the other?”
Members of the PPP in the British branch have, therefore, called on the Inspector General of Police “to conduct his men and women in uniform to respect those who are putting themselves up to vie for the position of a Head of State but for some hiccups which are clearly being misconstrued as serious crimes”.
They said the issue should be handled more professionally to showcase Ghana as a ‘mature democracy’.
“The PPP believes that none of the Presidential aspirants is a crook or else the Electoral Commission wouldn’t have given them the forms to be completed in the first place.
“It goes without saying therefore that one would expect the highest standards in policing ethics from our uniformed men and women as pertains in enlightened or more civilised societies.
“The display of unprofessionalism by the Ghana Police Service in addressing the issue of a complaint by the Electoral Commissioner puts our democracy under scrutiny by the international community as the treatment meted out to some of our Presidential aspirants is well over the top and needs more to be desired by way of unqualified apologies to the prospective Presidential candidates.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana