The New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to deliver on his assurance to arrest and bring to justice thugs causing confusion at the biometric voter registration centres.
The appeal was made by Mr Frederick Fredua Antoh, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP after a physical attack and destruction of registration equipment and materials at the Kronom SDA registration centre, in the Suame Constituency in Kumasi by a criminal gang on Thursday.
The well-built young men numbering about eight, reportedly rode to the centre on unregistered motorbikes, brutally beat up both registration officials and applicants, and vandalised the machines being used for the exercise.
This halted the registration.
Two party agents of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) were arrested in connection with the incident.
Mr Antoh at a news conference in Kumasi on Friday, said the criminal acts by the hired thugs, is a test case for the IGP.
He has to prove that the police are indeed determined to remain on the side of the law to ensure peace and order during the registration exercise.
The IGP, Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, on Wednesday announced to the nation that the police are on top of the security situation and would be impartial and discharge its duties in a professional way to ensure law and order.
Mr Antoh said, the party views the continued brazen disregard for the law by the thugs as a challenge to the police.
They need to demonstrate professional integrity, he said, adding that, the arrest of the two suspects provides an opportunity for the police to act and send clear a signal to all who would want to cause confusion in the upcoming general election that they could never have their way.
Mr Antoh asked all qualified voters to refuse to be intimidated and go out in their numbers to register to enable them vote in the 2012 elections.**
Source: GhanaWeb
