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Information Minister, Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has sought to assure Ghanaians that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, being an astute lawyer, will not commit to any acts of omission or commission that will undermine the Constitution.

Speaking in relation to the violence that rocked the last by-election organised in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, and comments by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Commission of Inquiry is a "smokescreen", the Information Minister reiterated the president's resolve to provide lasting solution to pre and post-electoral disturbances.

According to him, it is imperative the current administration draw lessons from the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, hence the setting up of the Presidential Commission of Enquiry.

“We only saw in the viral video someone being beaten but we don’t know how it started because the video did not capture the entire scene and so the Commission of Inquiry will help us get to the bottom of how everything started even before it ended up the way it did,” he explained.

Resign or Step Aside

Sporadic scenes of violence were recorded on Thursday, January 31, 2019, during the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency by-election.

The National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah has been accused of compromising the country’s security by recruiting illegal and unqualified party vigilante groups members into the security architecture.

Whilst the police has denied knowledge of the masked and helmeted men who visited harm on some voters the Minister in charge of National Security at the office of the President, Mr Bryan Acheampong, has admitted publicly of having deployed the said security officers.

Calls have been made for the two to either stand aside for investigations to be conducted or resign from their positions.

Commission of Inquiry Set up

Consequently, government on Thursday set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the violence which occurred during the by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency on January 31, 2019.

The three-member commission has Mr Justice Emile Short as Chairman, with Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu and Mr Patrick K. Acheampong as members.

A statement signed by Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, indicated that "Mr. Ernest Kofi Abotsi, former Dean of the Faculty of Law of GIMPA and private legal practitioner, has been appointed as Secretary to the Commission".

The Commission has within one month to submit its report to the President, "giving reasons for its findings and recommendations, including appropriate sanctions, if any."