The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declared war against soldiers ahead of the Akwatia by-election on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
According to the NPP, any soldier who interferes in the electoral process will be treated as a thug.
During a presser on Wednesday, August 27, the party’s Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah, said the NPP will not tolerate what it describes as attempts by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to use the military as a tool of intimidation.
“We want to make it abundantly clear that any soldier involved in the Akwatia by-election will be considered and dealt with as a thug,” Ahiagbah stated firmly.
According to him, the NPP has gathered intelligence suggesting that the NDC is planning to deploy national security operatives under the cover of state authority to terrorize voters.
He specifically accused Richard Jakpa, the recently appointed Director of Operations at the National Security Secretariat, of moving through the constituency with soldiers and issuing threats to residents.
“Richard Jakpa has reportedly been perambulating Akwatia with soldiers, threatening some indigenes and residents to leave the town before the by-election in their own interest,” he alleged.
The NPP’s warning comes as tensions rise ahead of the September 2 by-election, triggered by the sudden death of Akwatia MP Ernest Yaw Kumi.
The contest has become a national focal point, with both the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition NPP trading accusations of intimidation.
The seat will be contested by Solomon Kwame Asumadu of the NPP, Bernard Bediako Baidoo Esq. of the NDC, and Owusu Patrick of the Liberal People’s Party (LPG).
Meanwhile the Ghana Police have already arrested ten suspects and retrieved nine weapons in security operations in the area, raising further concerns about potential violence.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
