The Defence minister, Dominic Nitiwul has challenged the Former President, John Dramani Mahama to provide evidence to the allegations raised about the use of military to suppress any potential Ghanaian from registering his or her name at the on-going registration exercise.
He said, the former President was wrong to have sighted Banda as an evidence of voter suppression and it is clear that, Mr John Dramani Mahama was wrongly briefed, his intelligence is suspect and has been misled on the incidents.
“If the former President has any evidence, he should bring that evidence and the Ministry of Defence will act. We are calling on him to provide evidence of the allegations he is making, we want evidence of that allegation.
“For him to use Banda as the example of what he calls voter suppression means that his briefing was wrong, his intelligence is suspect, and he is being misled,” Mr. Nitiwul told journalists at a media briefing Monday.
The Defence minister clearly stated that, what is happening at Banda is a decision taken by Regional Security council (RESIC)and all stakeholders including both NPP and NDC for not allowing any party to bus people to the registration centres and whoever does so must be stopped by the deployed Security which include the military.
The former President and 2020 flagbearer of the opposition NDC in a facebook post cited happenings in the Volta Region and Banda constituency in the Bono Region where the military has reportedly prevented persons believed to be sympathisers of the NDC from taking part in the voter registration exercise.
But the Defence Minister has rubbished the allegation,s arguing the government has no intention to intimidate and disenfranchise eligible voters.
“Let me put it on record that government did not plan, government has no intention, the government will not plan, and will never have an intention of suppressing any potential voter who is a Ghanaian and who is qualified, who is of sound mind and above 18 years to register.”
