The Ashanti Regional Chapter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have accused the regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of fabricating the story of found thumb-printed ballot at a guest house in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.
Reports from the region on Monday morning indicated the Police had seized bags stuffed with thumb-printed ballot papers from a guest house.
The unquantified number of ballot included those thumb-printed for President Mahama and those without thumb-prints.
Some Ghanaians especially supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) alleged that the discovery was part of the NDC’s grand scheme to rig the upcoming polls in the Ashanti Region.
But the regional chapter of the NDC in a statement signed by the Regional secretary, Raymond Tandoh hours after the report said, the NPP’s chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi is making stories against the NDC in attempt to cause public disaffection for the party.
“Wontumi has misled the media and police in a wild goose chase of large cache of ammunition and thumb printed ballot papers across the region, from an initial false claim of an impounded ammunition by the military in Kumasi, to the search of house numbered AS2015S at Asouyeboa for weapons and ended with another in Tanoso yesterday.”
According to the NDC, the NPP chairman must be invited by the police for further questioning to aid in investigations on the matter.
It also called on the police to “immediately arrest the owner of the Lodge to aid investigations. But we have strong conviction that this is just a deliberate creation of the NPP to divert attention from the President’s commissioning of the first phase of the Kumasi Kejetia Market and sod cutting for phase 2 expansion of the Kumasi International Airport slated for today, December 5, 2016.”
THE PARTY’S POSITION ON CLAIMS OF DISCOVERY OF THUMB PRINTED BALLOT PAPERS AT THE MADISON LODGE, TUC, KUMASI
It has come to our attention this morning about an alleged discovery of thumb printed ballot sheets in a room at the Madison Lodge, TUC, Kumasi.
It is worthy to state the following facts;
For the past three days, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Wontumi has misled the media and police in a wild goose chase of large cache of ammunitions and thumb printed ballot papers across the region, from an initial false claim of an impounded ammunition by the military in Kumasi, to the search of house numbered AS2015S at Asouyeboa for weapons and ended with another in Tanoso yesterday.
At 6:00am this morning, Wontumi called the media to join him and some Police officers for a raid at the Madison Lodge, TUC, Kumasi.
Upon arrival at the Lodge, they directed all occupants to come out of their rooms for a search, which they complied.
They were led subsequently by Wontumi into a particular room where some bags containing thumb printed ballots were kept.
Shockingly, per the Lodge’s records, the occupant checked out without any viable personal records to help investigations.
This leaves Wontumi as the only credible primary source of information.
The receptionist currently is with the Police for further questioning but with an initial denial of any knowledge of the said ballots and the identity of the guest.
With the above, we have come to the following conclusions;
Wontumi as the primary source of information must be invited to help further investigations.
Why did the hotel, as conventionally practiced chose not to record personal details of the guest.
We therefore call on the Police to immediately arrest the owner of the Lodge to aid investigations. But we have strong convictions that this is just a deliberate creation of the NPP to divert attention from the President’s commissioning of the first phase of the Kumasi Kejetia Market and sod cutting for phase 2 expansion of the Kumasi International Airport slated for today, December 5, 2016.
We urge all our members to remain calm even as we work with the Police to unravel this evil mystery.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)