At least three people are feared dead and two others have sustained various degree of injured at the Baweleshie polling centre in the ongoing by-election in the Ayawaso constituency following shootings over the polls on Thursday, 31st January, 2019.
According to report, several dozen security detail wearing black masks and shirts labelled NSC (National Security Council) stormed inside the polling station and began firing shots.
According to Accra fm’s reporter Fred Agbenyo, the macho men destroyed polling station Basic One and carried the ballot boxes away.
An NDC polling agent, Victus Avevor, who claimed he witnessed the incident, told our reporter that the gun-wielding macho men are members of the Invincible Forces of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Some persons have been arrested by police following a shooting incident a polling centre a La Bawaleshie during the ongoing Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election.
There are also unconfirmed reports that two persons were shot during the incident, with took place at the La Bawaleshie Presby School, which has two polling centres.
Some men in black, with their faces covered and dressed in an intimidating manner, were also sighted on the scene.
He said one person had been shot in the arm and the other in the leg. Eugenia Tenkorang also said she saw a man who appeared to be injured being carried by another person.
EC personnel had to flee the scene and the voting process was suspended.
A policeman who spoke to the media said “the people that fired the shot, they were not policemen. They were not soldiers.”
No further details were provided by the police.
But some eyewitnesses claim the shots were being fired by national security operatives, who were the ones
Calm has however returned to the area.
The contestants
Contesting the seat for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the spouse of the late MP, while Delali Kwasi Brempong of the NDC will be hoping to capture a seat that the NPP has held since 2000.
Also in the race are William Dowokpor of the Progressive People’s Party, (PPP) and Clement Boadi of the Liberal Party of Ghana.
Lawsuit
The by-election is being held despite a lawsuit filed at the Supreme Court by the NDC Constituency Chairman against the Electoral Commission challenging the January 31, 2018 date set for the by-election.
The NDC has already expressed its disappointment with the way the EC is handling the upcoming Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
In a separate incident armed machomen have stormed the residence of National Democratic Congress candidate in the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye election with several gunshots fired.
Gunshots were fired into the air outside the gates while neighbours videotaped the incident.
The same macho men in NSC-branded t-shirts who are suspected to be members of a vigilante group attacked some voters at the La-Bawaleshie Presby JHS polling station on Thursday and fired gunshots in the air during voting in the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-elections.
