The National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Joseph Yammin has stated that the party and its members will by all means necessary protect ballots in the 2024 general election.
According to him, while the NDC suffered in the 2020 elections through acts of assault, rigging and intimidation, the 2024 election will be different as any such action will be countered.
“Do you think we are going into the election to clap for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia? We are going to win the election and if winning the election means that we have to protect ourself, we are going to do that.
“We are not going into the election to watch on for Bawumia to become president. We are going to tell Ghanaians to make Mahama president because he is the only person that can save this nation.
“We are going to vote and if it calls that we have to also protect the ballot boxes, we are going to do that, whatever means we need to protect the ballot boxes, we are telling you and telling everybody listening to you that we will do it.
“No matter the intimidation, no matter what. We will not sit aloof. The palms that were used to slap people in 2020 we also have some and we don’t just use ours to eat fufu, we can also slap someone,” he told Kwame Nkrumah Tikese of Okay FM on the Tuesday, December 26, 2023, edition of his Ade Akye Abia morning show.
The statement by Joseph Yamin comes on the back of a police statement announcing an investigation into a similar statement made by the Deputy National Secretary of the party, Mustapha Gbandi on the same show a few days back.
According to the police Mustapha’s call on NDC supporters to turn up at polling stations armed to protect their franchise bordered on potential incitement which is against the law.
But reacting to the police statement, Joseph Yamin said he sees nothing wrong in the position taken by his colleague.
According to him, it is rather the duty of the police to assure the NDC of a free, fair and transparent election instead of targeting the NDC.
He accused the police of ignoring various incidents of electoral intimidation and violence perpetrated by the ruling New Patriotic Party against the NDC while emphasising that his party will by all means protect its ballots if the police cannot guarantee that.
Source: ghanaweb.com
