Government has condemned as “despicable” claims by first vice chair of the New Patriotic Party F.F Anto suggesting that President John Mahama must be shot for boldly seeking a second term in office.
“Government takes a serious view of the NPP Vice Chairman’s comments on Abusua FM and wishes to condemn the opposition party’s constant resort to hate speech. Hate speech, plotting violence and calls for murder must not have a place in our politics,” a statement signed by Communication Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah said.
The NPP Vice Chair-F.F Anto told sister station Abusua FM in Kumasi that the President having the confidence to seek for a second-term in office amidst the bleak future set for the Ghanaian economy as a result of poor management must be hanged or sent to the shooting range.
But the Communications minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah reacting to those claims said the utterances of the NPP firebrand ought to be taken seriously against the backdrop of “previous failed assassination attempt on President Mahama and the fact that only recently the NPP imported three South African Mercenaries to engage in secret training for some hooligans under the now known operation; code named ‘Assaulting the Pillars of Power’.”
Below are details of the statement
GOV’T CONDEMNS NPP 1ST VICE CHAIRMAN FOR HATE SPEECH
The attention of Government has been drawn to some despicable and unimaginable comments attributed to the First Vice Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), F. F. Anto, indicating that President John Dramani Mahama deserves to be hanged or killed at the shooting range for seeking a second term as President.
The NPP Vice Chairman is also quoted by news reports as making reference to the shooting to the death of a former Head of State, General I. K. Acheampong, and indicating that what befell him is what President Mahama deserves. Government takes a serious view of the NPP Vice Chairman’s comments on Abusua FM and wishes to condemn the opposition party’s constant resort to hate speech. Hate speech, plotting violence and calls for murder must not have a place in our politics.
The NPP Vice Chairman’s death wish for the President is particularly striking if you recall a previous failed assassination attempt on President Mahama and the fact that only recently the NPP imported three South African Mercenaries to engage in secret training for some hooligans under the now known operation; code named ‘Assaulting the Pillars of Power’.
We believe elections are about counting heads and not cutting heads. Government is therefore advising the NPP and all political actors to engage in progressive and 21st century politicking and not what divides and inculcates the resort to violence in our people.
Government is calling on the National Peace Council and the security agencies to increase their alertness and vigilance in order to ensure the early identification and isolation of such backward incidents likely to be perpetrated by men and women, who should know better as we have observed in this Issued in Accra on Thursday, September 8, 2016. index case to forestall an escalation of tensions in our beloved country particularly as we inch closer to the December 7 general elections.
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