The Ashanti North Regional Police command has confirmed the arrest of media personality Okatakyie Kwame Afrifa Mensah and six others following disturbances during the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Efigya Sekyere East Constituency executive elections at Wiamoase.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 13, the police said Kwame Afrifa Mensah and another suspect complained of ill health after their arrest on Sunday, July 12.
“Later on the same day, suspect Afrifa Mensah and another suspect, Osman Awuni aged 44 years…were taken to the Mampong Government Hospital, where they were admitted for treatment. The two suspects remain under police guard while receiving treatment,” the police statement further said.
According to the Police, Kwame Afrifa Mensah led a group of about 30 men to the polling station at about 7:45 am on Sunday.
The command said when security personnel questioned the group’s presence, they allegedly became aggressive, attacked police officers, and disrupted the electoral process by throwing electoral materials onto the ground.
Police further revealed that efforts are underway to arrest the remaining members of the group who fled the scene.
The command says preliminary investigations indicate that Kwame Afrifa Mensah claimed some of his supporters had been sidelined in the electoral process and that he had secured an interlocutory injunction to halt the elections.
However, the police said neither they nor the Electoral Commission had received any court order or injunction directing that the elections be suspended.
The statement said calm was restored after police intervention, allowing voting to resume under adequate security.
“The election ended peacefully at about 4:00 p.m., after which the Electoral Commission duly declared the results,” the statement added.
