THE Eastern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Stephen Andoh-Kwofie, says only registered voters and accredited officials would be allowed within a 100-metre radius of polling booths at the upcoming rerun of the Akwatia parliamentary election slated for August 18, this year.
The other officials, he said, would be from the Electoral Commission (EC) and representatives of the contesting political parties, as well as police personnel who have been empowered to use reasonable force to ensure that nobody disrupts the election.
DCOP Andoh-Kwofie gave the hint yesterday when he briefed the Akwatia Constituency executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by its chairman, Alhaji Baba Yakubu, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by the secretary, Mr Kwaku Ofori Abrokwa, the regional press corps and the EC officials, on measures so far taken to ensure that the election would come off peacefully.
According to DCOP Andoh-Kwofie, the police had taken all the necessary steps to deal ruthlessly with anybody intending to cause confusion, and that people who had nothing to do at the polling stations must not go there.
He said under normal circumstances, polling booths were not entirely restricted areas but his outfit had been compelled to ban unauthorised persons from such places to prevent the recurrence of seizure of ballot boxes at such polling stations during the December 8 general election.
“Although the elections will be held in only six polling stations, policemen, apart from being at the polling stations, would be deplored at vantage points within the entire Akwatia town where some roadblocks would be mounted” he said.
“My men have also been empowered to apply reasonable but justifiable force on any person attempting to cause confusion before, during and after the election in the town”, DCOP Andoh-Kwofie added.
In answer to a question on how to deal with “machomen” anticipated to be in the area during voting day, he said any heavily built visitor spotted within the vicinity would not be arrested except that person tried to cause confusion.
The regional commander said the police had done what was expected for a peaceful election, and therefore, appealed to the contesting political parties to educate their followers on the dos and don’ts of the election so that nobody would contravene the law.
He added that ignorance of the law would not be an excuse to involve in any bad thing that would disrupt the election.
The Regional Director of the EC, Mr Paul Boateng, for his part stated that the EC would use new ballot papers but the same voters’ register that was used for the December 8, last year’s general election in the constituency.
Asked about the transfer of votes, he said only those effected before the December 8 elections would be allowed and that no new transfers would be entertained.
Mr Boateng appealed to the press to be circumspect in their reportage in order not to inflame passion to cause confusion.
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