CID after Bernard Mornah over ‘threats’ against EC

• Posted on May 29, 2020May 29, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has invited the National Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Bernard Mornah for questioning over alleged threats he made against the Electoral Commission (EC).

He is due to be at the CID headquarters at 10 am on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
According to an invitation letter extended to him and signed by Deputy Director General of CID, DCOP Barima Tweneboah Sasraku II, the CID is investigating the threats he made against the EC and its staff.

His pronouncements made at a press conference are in relation to the planned voter registration exercise.

The EC is due to organize the exercise in the coming weeks.

But at a press conference, Mr. Mornah, says he will resist every attempt by the EC to compile the new register.

According to him, “People who are already Ghanaians are already registered are going to be taken out of the voters register, don’t think confusion will come at the registration station and if confusion comes there, you think the EC staff will be safe, we will beat each other there and, we will kill each other there if that is what the EC wants to lead this nation to.”

The said press conference was organized by the Inter-Party Resistance Against New Register (IPRAN) on May 26, 2020.

Following the threats, suspended General Secretary of the PNC, Atik Mohammed asked the Police to invite the party’s Chairman, Bernard Mornah for.

By threatening to disrupt a legitimate exercise of the Electoral Commission, Atik Mohammed indicated that his party’s Chairman comments amount to treason and violate other portions of the country’s constitution.

He believes that if such comments are allowed to fester, some persons will take the law into their hands to act out the “unfortunate and reckless” words by Bernard Mornah.

“Merely being the Chairman of a political party doesn’t give you the license to spew gibberish. And I’m on this occasion inviting the police that they should invite Bernard Mornah for his comments. If you threaten mayhem if you threaten violence; chairman (referring to the host, Kwami Safa Kayi), threats of violence, and the visitation of violence on whoever are both offenses under our Criminal Offences Act.

“And so you cannot threaten mayhem against a state agency doing its work within the limits of the law without the police inviting you. What if they wait and you actually give effect to your threats? And I believe the police administration is not just there to deal with criminals but to ensure that crimes are not even committed in the first place,” Atik said on Peace Fm Thursday.

The PNC suspended General Secretary noted that nobody is above the law.

“And so if somebody is threatening mayhem in this country, the person’s insurance cannot be the fact that he is the Chairman of a particular political party. Ofosu Ampofo is standing trial. He is the Chairman of a political party; I do not see the reason why the police cannot invite Bernard Monah,” he stated.

By Melvin Tarlue