This press conference has been called to shed light on why the Young Patriots were going to embark on a mammoth demonstration today and the efforts by the President and IGP to frustrate and stop the demonstration.
We have in our possession the court restraining order by the police served on us on 7th January, 2013 at about 4:30 pm restraining us from going through with our demonstration. This restraining order NO D21/506/13 the Circuit Court 28th February Road, Accra reads as follows: (refer to court order)
Ladies and gentlemen this order was obtained under two hours yesterday with all the powers that be including the Police Inspector General moving heaven and earth to ensure we do not demonstrate. The game was given away on an Accra based radio station (HOT FM) when a host asked the police PRO whether the demonstration will be allowed on 8th January or not. His answer to the question was, give me two hours and I will let you know if they can demonstrate.
Within the said two hours, the Young Patriots were invited to the police regional headquarters ostensibly to discuss details of the demonstration, only to be served with the restraining order.
Events leading to the restraining order point to an increasingly intolerable police force forced to act in accordance with the will and persona of the President. Please note that before this order, the police forcefully broke into the collation centre of the NPP when evidence was being collected to go to court. Madam Gloria Akufo, the Chairperson of the legal committee looking into the evidence to be adduced, had her office broken into opposite a police station. As we speak, nothing has come of that case. Further note that, AFAG a pressure group just about a week ago was also stopped by the police force from demonstrating against President John Dramani Mahama.
The President level of intolerance to divergent views is unsurpassed.
Ladies and gentlemen, the most absurd of reasons given us by the police for not allowing us to demonstrate was when the Regional Police Command told us we will embarrass the President should we demonstrate on the 8th because visiting heads of states will still be in the country. It is unfortunate that in 2013, a mere demonstration will be taken personal by a President who makes sure he is not embarrassed for stealing the people’s mandate.
Please note that apart from legal attempts to stop our demonstration coming on, there were covert methods to stop us or physically eliminate us. In preparation towards this demonstration, several meetings were held by members of the Young Patriots in various parts of Accra and Tema. Our every step was being monitored and on Saturday night at about 10pm after one such meetings in Tema, an unmarked V8 Toyota Land cruiser crossed us on the motorway on the Tema- Accra portion and sped off whilst our vehicle somersaulted a couple of times and crashed. Thanks to the almighty God who we serve, we the occupants all escaped unhurt.
Fellow Ghanaians the Young Patriots are not deterred by these schemes by the powers that be to ensure we do not demonstrate. We are rather motivated by them because we are on the right path.
The demonstration slated for today 8th January 2013, has been called off in respect of the restraining order obtained against us by the police. However, we are stating here and now that we shall not be stopped. We will go back to the police and obtain a new date for a march for justice and we hope to bring some 1.3m people onto the streets to represent each vote that President Mahama and Afari Djan stole from the people of Ghana and we hope, the police will not on that occasion stand in our way for we may not be this tolerant next time.
REASONS FOR DEMONSTRATING
Ladies and gentlemen, the demonstration was meant to point to the fact that Dr Afari Djan, the disgraced partisan chairman of the electoral commission of Ghana whose belligerent posturing before during and after the election became law onto himself, colluded with President Mahama to steal the peoples mandate.
Fellow Ghanaians, Afari Djan became a law onto himself when he alone knew what the electoral laws of this country meant. Through the enactment of the various shambolic constitutional instruments (CI’S) to the display of the voters register, the EC boss was the law and the law meant what he said. His authoritarian posture led him to even exclude his colleagues of the EC in the various processes before, during and after the elections.
Dr Afari Djan crossed the line when as a neutral arbiter who "decided not to vote" after the elections went on rampage virtually insulting the NPP and the evidence we had. To the extent that Dr Afari Djan could say we do not have a case and is sure we cannot adduce evidence in court, are only a manifestation of his character a dictator who still thinks he is the law even at the Supreme Court.
The EC boss is a partial, partisan and interested party who without prompting brought to the public domain, rumors that he was bribed with 10m Ghc. He must have indeed taken the money to become the Frankenstein monster that he has become onto Ghanaians.
President Mahama Presiding over the resources of this country as the head of state, for his personal ambitions wantonly dissipated and distributed our monies as a nation in ways he saw fit to get him re-elected. The distribution of "Atta Kambu" cars to university girls in the name of campaigning, the selected distribution of laptops bought by the state and embossed with pictures of the President, the distribution of freebies including cars to selected chiefs, cloths and above all monies up to 500 Ghc to some households in an attempt to win votes was reckless and unpatriotic.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is also very important to note that the President John Dramani Mahama has had two national occasions in the spate of three days to address the nation and the world at large; the state of the nation address and his inaugural address. On both occasions, the President refused to address the single most important matter today in Ghana, the Supreme Court case by the NPP and whether he will abide by the ruling of the court.
This is no accident as the NDC does not intend to go by the ruling of the court. Mr James Agyenim Boateng, the spokesperson of the transition team, speaking on BBC when the case was filed by the NPP refused to answer the question three times when it was posed to him.
It is worthy of note also that Mr Asediu Nketia the General Secretary of the NDC and Mr Kwesi Pratt a known NDC social commentator somehow in their minds think the NPP has gone to court because we want power sharing. The NPP rank and file will not accept anything close to power sharing with a party that believes government is about the redistribution of poverty. It is the figment of the imaginations of Mr Pratt and Nketia. Any such negotiations will be fiercely resisted if brought to the table by us.
Ladies and gentlemen, further proof that the NDC does not intend obeying the court ruling lie in the cases they and their surrogates like Mr Benard Mornah have filed at the Supreme Court. If the NPP are "blockheads" since they do not know that a President cannot be sued in Ghana (Aseidu Nketia), what is the NDC‘s Tsatsu Tsikata doing leading a group of lawyers to enjoin the President and the NDC to the NPP’s suit? The various attempts to slow the case in court to give President Mahama an opportunity to be a President a while longer should not be entertained.
We do hope the fear being created by the NDC for not committing to the Supreme Court ruling does not get people thinking it is only the NDC that has hawks within its midst. Justice begets peace; we are peaceful because we believe justice will be served. But let know one take our peaceful nature as a people as a sign of weakness to be exploited for their personal ambitions.
Ladies and gentlemen in conclusion, we wish to call on all well meaning Ghanaians, the National Peace council which has been quite lately after holding midnight press conferences, NGO’s, donor partners, the UK and US governments through their embassies and other foreign missions in Ghana to as a matter of urgency impress upon President John Dramani Mahama to make a public pronouncement to the effect that he will abide by the ruling of the Supreme court like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has done.
The illustrious Ghanaian media can take it upon itself to directly pose the question to President Mahama if he will abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court. Let people not take the NPP stand to obey the ruling to mean we will sit down and have our mandate stolen the second time should the NDC refuse to accept the ruling.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Young Patriots with allied groups will in the coming days lay out a program us to how we are going to March for justice through the massing up of over 1.3 million people. The Ghana police should get ready for a peaceful and harmless march which will seek justice and not to embarrass HE President Mahama.
Thank you very much and may God Bless our homeland Ghana.
Signed
Richard Nyamah (Chairman)
Hopeson Adorye (Director of Operations)
John Kumah (Spokesperson)
Fred Amankwah Sarfo (Dep Dir Op)
Adomako Baafi (Spokesperson)
Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe (Special Ops)
Saaka Salia (Leading Member)
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