Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi Blasts Ghana Police For Arresting NDC Agents

CHAIRMAN of the Eastern Regional Legal Team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi has described as shameful and disgusting the sack arrest and detention of the NDC party agents at Adeiso in the Upper West Akim Constituency in the Eastern Region by the police officers during the ongoing proxy and voter transfer exercise.

According to him, they couldn't fathom 

why the police officers should arrest and detain the NDC agents who have been officially assigned by the leadership of the party to monitor ongoing proxy and voter transfer exercise.

He described the actions of the police officers as unacceptable and wicked, saying that "this was not the first time the agents have been assigned by the leadership of the NDC to carry out this official tasks on behalf of the NDC."

The legal luminary faulted the police officers for wrongly attacking the NDC agents, saying that the current actions of the police officers of the Ghana Police Service has given the members and supporters of the NDC reason to worry.

According to him, in the upcoming national elections, "we the members and supporters of the NDC believe that we need a fair playing ground for all the various political parties, adding that whoever wins the national elections must win fairly.

Lawyer Larbi made these remarks on 

radio on Monday June 3, 2024 to discuss the conduct of the EC and police regarding the ongoing voter transfer and proxy exercise.

Mincing no words, Lawyer Larbi urged all NDC agents to continue to muster courage to get to the grounds to monitor the ongoing exercise

"I am encouraging you the NDC agents not to  panic or fear any intimidation meted out to you by the police officers and EC officials on the grounds," the lawyer stressed.

According to him, this was not the first time that Ghanaians have done voter transfer and proxy exercise, saying that since 1992 that Ghana attained democracy, in every year when the county is preparing to go to the poll to elect the political leader, the EC conducts this national exercise.

In every exercise in this regard, the lawyer pointed out that it is the various political party agents who helped the Electoral Commission of Ghana to make this national exercise successful.

Mr Larbi described the political partys as the major stakeholders in the conduction of the voter transfer and proxy exercise in country.

He said that the decision taken at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to the effect that it want its agent to come to help monitor the national exercise is nothing unusual and that it is something which has been going on all the time.

"I was in my office and l received a distress call from some of the NDC faithfuls that the police officers have arrested our secretary of the  Upper West Akim Constituency of the NDC at Adeiso...when l asked why I was told that the police came to the centre at Adeiso to arrest him and sack all the NDC agents from the centre.

"I didn't understand this so l asked the informant to send the police commander telephone number, so when l personally make  the call via telephone, the police commander confirmed to me that it is true that they have arrested and sacked NDC agents at Adieso.

"We have become aware of the fact that on 31st of May 2024 the Police Command at Adeiso in the Upper West Akim Constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana arrested and detained the Constituency Secretary of the NDC during the ongoing proxy and voter transfer exercise at the Adeiso District office of the Electoral Commission and detained him for several hours.

"We are also aware that the same police at Adeiso sacked the NDC agents at the District office of the EC on the basis that no agents are required or allowed at the EC office during the proxy and voter transfer exercise.

"As the Director of Legal for the party in the region I spoke with the police officer concerned and he intimated to me that the guidelines supplied to the police states that 

no agents are required to be present during the proxy and voter transfer exercise.

"Meanwhile we are aware that at the last IPAC meeting the decision was taken by all stakeholders that agents of the political parties are required to be present during the ongoing exercise," he noted.

He indicated that in view of this the NPP has its agents present and available at the District office of the EC nationwide.

In the lead up to the 7th December elections, the lawyer stressed we don't want a situation where one set of guidelines is given to one group of people and another set of guidelines is given to another group of people.

This, according to the lawyer, would certainly create unnecessary tensions and a possible breach of the peace which would be needless and unwarranted.

He drew the attention of the EC that it should always make sure that the same set of rules are made available to all stakeholders including the political parties to avoid confusion.

"We cannot confirm whether indeed it is true that the guidelines given to the police states that agents of the political parties are not allowed at the District office of the EC but if this is true that would be completely unacceptable and we in the region would not want a repeat of such situation for the peace of the region and to ensure that the upcoming elections are truly free and fair without a deliberate attempt to skew the elections in favor of the NPP or any other entity," he said.

He expressed hope that going forward all stakeholders and especially the EC would ensure that everyone is on the same page for every activity of the EC and most importantly on election day.

He said the arrest of our Constituency Secretary and the sacking of our agents was totally unnecessary and same should not be repeated.

"In fact we were outraged and it also came out to us as a surprise because this is not something that should be happening. When it happens this ways it means the police are putting the whole exercise into jeopardy.

What is very surprising was that the guidelines the police officers are using to do the work, it must be given to all the political parties participating in the upcoming national elections.

He cautioned that "What we are saying is that the EC cannot give different electoral guidelines to the different stakeholders in this matter," the lawyer added.