The embassies of the United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA) have been petitioned to refuse Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, visa into their countries.
The petition also added Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bernard Antwi Boasiako otherwise known as Wontumi and Peter Mac Manu, NPP’s Campaign Manager for election 2016.
According to Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK), a think-tank, the three them have made inflammatory statements likely to create violence in the country.
Both UK and USA recently released statements to condemn pockets of political violence occurring in the country and thence threatened to hold responsible those who incite violence including denying or revoking visas.
It was against the backdrop of these statements that STRANEK has provided names of politicians they believe have already caused some form of tension with their utterances and actions.
At a news conference, preceding the said petition, Nii Tettey Tetteh, Executive Director of STRANEK, said his organization supports their stance to save Ghana from noisome pestilence, hence their action.
In addition to the petition, he said they are including evidences of tapes and newspaper cuttings to make their case a strong one before the two embassies.
“We deem it fit to send those evidences to establish their case for consideration in sanctioning them, using the no visa sanction”, he stated.
He averred that he could not say the two countries have not experienced violence before but the measures they took to manage it qualifies them to send a caution to Ghana.
Explaining the reasons why the three should not be granted visas, Nii Tetteh posited that Kennedy Agyapong has made tribal bigotry comments and recently insulted the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as well as Madam Charlotte Osei, the Electoral Commissioner.
On Chairman Wontumi, he said, he had noted the slapping an MP, while Mr. Mac Manu also was cited to have made an inciting comment, seeking to say the NPP should be in power at all cost.
He was sure that the people involved either have dual citizenship or are regular visitors of the countries, and thus they should watch out for them and apply sanctions on them to serve as a deterrent to many others.
Nii Tetteh said STRANEK will continue to champion peace in the country and will not relent on their efforts to add to anyone who is caught by their lenses, regardless of the party they belong to.
He was optimistic that they will receive a positive response from the embassies since it was one way to ensure Ghana is free from violence.
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