Police investigate alleged assault on NPP Vice Chair in Akwatia

The Akwatia District Police Command has begun investigations into an alleged assault on Alhaji Masawudu Osman, Third Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), during the September 2 by-election.

According to police, the alleged assault on the NPP Vice Chairman in Akwatia occurred at the town’s main lorry station in the Vawaso Electoral Area, where tensions erupted between supporters of the two main political parties. The incident reportedly involved Alhaji Masawudu and members of the escort of Chief Sofo Azorka, National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In its update, the police confirmed that the alleged assault on the NPP Vice Chairman was reported by Alhaji Masawudu, who stated that the altercation happened while he was engaging the media near the Akwatia Zongo area, where he had been deployed to monitor the polls. He was issued a police medical form for treatment, with instructions to return the endorsed form to aid further investigations.

The Eastern South Regional Police Command has since taken over the matter, assuring the public of a thorough investigation. A statement signed by DSP David Fianko Okyere of the Regional Public Affairs Unit stressed that the police were committed to ensuring justice.

Eyewitnesses said the confrontation escalated when a member of Azorka’s escort allegedly slapped Alhaji Masawudu before officers intervened to restore order. No arrests have been confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, the by-election ended with the Electoral Commission declaring Bernard Bediako Baidoo of the NDC as the winner with 18,199 votes, representing 54.3 percent. His closest contender, Solomon Asumadu of the NPP, secured 15,235 votes, while other candidates trailed behind.

The Deputy Director of Elections and IT of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rashid Tanko-Computer, has dismissed accusations of voter inducement in the Akwatia by-election, declaring, We don’t buy votes, that’s not NDC’s way.”

He argued that the allegations of vote buying are baseless and go against the principles on which the NDC has always operated.

In an interview on JoyNews, Tanko-Computer stressed that the NDC’s track record speaks for itself. “I can speak for my party, the NDC, that we are not involved in these acts of vote buying. Indeed, it has not been part of us; it is not part of our processes. We hardly do that in any of our elections,” he said, adding once again that “we don’t buy votes; that’s not NDC’s way.”

The NDC elections officer further pointed to the party’s landslide victory in the 2024 general elections as proof that the NDC’s message, not money, won the support of Ghanaians. According to him, if the party had depended on inducements, it would never have achieved such a resounding win. “If we were to be involved in vote buying, do you think we would have won the 2024 election? Look at the massive victory Ghanaians gave us. Do we have that kind of money?” he questioned, stressing that the vote-buying accusations are misplaced.