The New Patriotic Party has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress of orchestrating Thursday’s violence in the Ayawaso-Wuogon by-election to undermine the integrity of the election.

According to the NPP, the NDC sensing defeat decided to foment trouble to discredit the Electoral Commission and its leadership.

Addressing the media at the Party’s head office at Asylum Down,
Accra, the Director of Communications for the party, Yaw Buaben Asamoah
said contrary to claims by the opposition that it had directed all of
its representatives at various polling stations to leave the election
centers, some are still present in the polling stations observing the
elections.

“It appears to be a premeditated attempt to create an impression of
violence and thereby discredit the ongoing election and prepare minds
probably for what purposes we can’t tell…[maybe] to negatively perceive
what is going on and probably position for the future, as well as damage
the integrity of the Electoral Commission and the government.

“There has been a clearly orchestrated widespread attempt to blow out
what has happened on multimedia and international media and this we
condemn in its totality.”

Buaben Asamoah’s comment comes after the NDC withdrew from the
Ayawaso-Wuogon by-election after four people were allegedly shot at the
Baweleshie polling centre.

According to GHone TV’s Evans Nkoom, blood stains could be seen at
the polling centre near the house of the candidate of the opposition
National Democratic Congress.

According to the NDC, several people belonging to their party were also battered and brutalised by thugs and security officials.

The injured have reportedly been taken out of the center to seek treatment.

But Buaben Asamoah claims that the nation’s security agencies were in
the area to investigate claims some strange men identified as members
of the dreaded Azorka Boys affiliated to the NDC.