The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has called on the Ghana Police Service to urgently investigate the pockets of violence recorded during the Assin North by-election on Tuesday, June 27 and prosecute all persons found culpable.
This, the Coalition said, will serve as a deterrent to others.
It cited a violent clash which saw the Ashanti Region Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, leading a convoy of vehicles in pursuit of another vehicle said to be occupied by supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“During this pursuit, the occupants of the NPP vehicles proceeded to vandalize and damage parts of the NDC vehicle, resulting in commotion and disturbance along the roadside,” CODEO revealed in its report on the by-election.
“Security personnel intervened to calm the situation by removing the actors from the vicinity of the polling station to a distant location,” the report on Wednesday, June 28 further stated.
“However, it was reported that the individuals involved in the altercation fired gunshots and one person was injured and was taken to the hospital for treatment.”
The election observers, however, commended the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC), the Police and electorates for a generally peaceful polls.
They acknowledged that the conduct of the polls was consistent with the general rules and regulations adhered to by polling officials.
At the end of the day, NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson beat his contenders – Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) – to win the elections.
He had been deposed after it was found out that he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship prior to filing for nominations to contest the 2020 elections, which he won.
Mr Gyakye Quayson had 57.56 percent of the total valid votes cast.