Controversy Over DRIP:NDC Communications Officer, Two Others Remanded

The Awutu Bereku District Court has remanded three members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), including the Awutu Senya West Communications Officer, Cassius Otoo Larbi, for five days in police custody. The suspects were arrested for removing posters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Eugene Kofi Bentum Arhin, from District Road Improvement Project (DRIP) machines, threatening an eye witness and assaulted others.

The court, presided over by Her Ladyship Naomi Konto, set Monday, September 16, 2024, for the suspects to reappear. Despite pleading not guilty and requesting bail, they were remanded due to an additional charge of threatening an eyewitness who spotted them removing the posters.

The Central Regional branch of the NDC has condemned the remanding, with Communications Officer Gabriela Tetteh describing the judge’s decision as unfair and questioning the trial as a tactic to intimidate NDC members. Member of Parliament for the area, Gizela Tetteh, also decried the trial, claiming her posters were equally removed from the machines by NPP members.

However, District Chief Executive Moses Arhinful stated that the trial was not solely about the removal of posters but also the threatening of an eyewitness. He added that the National Security had been monitoring the communications officer and others due to a recent incident where they allegedly disrupted a speech by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.

The NPP maintains that they have the right to adorn the DRIP machines with their posters, as they were procured by the government. The controversy has sparked tensions between the two political parties in the region.