There was chaos in Asesewa in the Upper Manya Krobo constituency of the Eastern Region last night when unknown armed men, allegedly dressed in military uniforms but in a police vehicle with service number GP 4004, stormed the residence of the Member of Parliament for the area, Bismark Tetteh Nyarko, in an apparent attempt to effect arrest .
Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) swiftly mobilized and resisted the armed men from entering the MP’s house, resulting in a chaotic standoff that lasted approximately 30 minutes before the men left the scene.
“At 11:19 pm, the NDC team, in the company of the Honourable Member of Parliament, Comrade Bismark Tetteh Nyarko, arrived home from a door-to-door campaign to mobilize NDC supporters to meet the National Chairman who will be coming here tomorrow.Minutes after the MP entered his residence, a police vehicle with registration number GP 4004, fully occupied by armed soldiers and the NPP Party chairman, Mamphey Phillip, arrived.
They tried to arrest one person, but the NDC team resisted. There was a standoff for about 30 minutes. They then insisted on the MP coming out of his house to meet with them at that odd hour. The NDC team again resisted as there was no identified senior officer. They eventually drove off,” an eyewitness told Starr News.
This incident follows an earlier clash between supporters of the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the afternoon of Monday over the controversial use of equipment from the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP).
The dispute arose when a fleet of heavy machinery, including motor graders and bulldozers, was found parked at a hotel belonging to the parliamentary candidate of the NPP Joseph Tetteh instead of the District Assembly premises.
The equipment, part of the recently launched DRIP initiative, was allegedly decorated with posters of Joseph Tetteh and paraphernalia of the NPP and their flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in what appeared to be an attempt to parade it to score political point.
Outraged by what they perceived as the politicization of government resources, NDC supporters mobilized and marched to the hotel to remove the posters.
However, they were resisted by supporters of the NPP escalating into a violent confrontation. It took the intervention of a reinforcement of police personnel to restore relative calm.
However, three individuals, including a security officer were reportedly injured and were treated at Asesewa Government Hospital. The injured include Mr. Philip Kweku Manphy, the NPP Constituency Chairman, and Hon. Gabriel Kudavor, the Assembly Member for Anyoboni Dzogbe Electoral Area.
The conflict has raised concerns about the potential misuse of government resources for political gain, overshadowing the intended benefits of the DRIP initiative, launched by President Akufo-Addo on July 31, with aim to enhance road networks across Ghana by empowering Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with the necessary resources to rehabilitate and maintain roads.
The equipment include fleet of 2,240 pieces of equipment, including motor graders, backhoes, rollers, wheel loaders, bulldozers, tipper trucks, concrete mixers, water tankers, and low beds.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
