Dr. Adam Bonaa, a security and safety analyst, is questioning why the military high command has not responded to the claims being made by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the alleged plot to rig the December polls.
Speaking on Onua FM’s Asem Ben Ni? with Captain Smart Wednesday, November 20, 2024, he said the “for Brigadier General Opoku, it is very important that the military themselves come out and deny that he is not involved.”
According to him, it is surprising that such allegations could be made against a senior security officer and after 24 hours, the military high command would remain quiet on it.
Dr. Bonaa says despite working within the security space, he is not in the position to either confirm or deny the allegations, but rather the military hierarchy to do so.
“The military high command –the Chief of Army Staff –he should come out and say that it is not true because if the entire military command in the Ashanti region has been called out, 24 hours almost, no statement from them, it speaks volume.
“I don’t work with the military but I work within the space, who am I to say what Sammy Gyamfi said is not true? It’s either they themselves come to confirm and say they have removed him or they come to deny and say it won’t happen but they’ve kept quiet for 24 hours,” he disclosed.
The comments follow a press conference organised by the NDC Tuesday, November 19, 2024, which revealed what it alleges to be an evil plot by the ruling NPP to rig the 2024 elections through ballot stuffing, swapping of ballot boxes, swapping of pink sheets, among others.
The party pointed accusing fingers at the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, saying it has contracted the General Officer Commanding of the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Brigadier-General Michael Opoku, to help the party carry out its rigging machinery.
Mr. Gyamfi, who addressed the media at the party’s headquarters, accused Brigadier-General Opoku of having a notoriety for masterminding election-related violence after he was indicted by the Emile Short Commission for being ultimately responsible for the shooting incident at the La Bawalashie school park during the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.
“Brigadier-General Opoku has been mandated by President Akufo Addo to take charge of a well-crafted scheme that has been designed by the New Patriotic Party to rig the upcoming election, particularly in the Ashanti region, through ballot stuffing, swapping of ballot boxes, swapping of pink sheets, and other clandestine activities starting with the special voting exercise scheduled for December 2nd,” the head of the NDC’s National Communications Bureau alleged.
The NDC claims it has credible intelligence of the presence of weapons, illegally-printed ballot papers, military apparels and other election materials meant for the alleged rigging plot in the Kumasi residence of Brigadier-General Michael Opoku.
In the NDC’s quest to ameliorate the issue, it appealed to the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police who is the Chairman of the Elections Security Task Force to investigate the issues in the interest of peaceful, free and fair elections, vowing to resist any attempts to use violence in the 2024 elections.
The party has also served notice of petitioning various foreign missions, Ghana’s development partners, His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene and others on the development, including the two top security capos.
