The Eastern Regional Secretariat of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it will abhor any “desperate attempt” by the government to discredit the ongoing voter registration process in areas perceived as strongholds of the party.

This follows what the NDC describes as the “deployment of NPP thugs and hoodlums under the guise of National Security to intimidate citizens” in areas perceived as strongholds of the NDC and “prevent them from registering in the ongoing voter registration exercise.”

In a statement issued by the Eastern Regional NDC Secretariat, and signed by its Regional Secretary Cudjoe Adupko, the party noted that: “A case in point is the deployment of these thugs to the ’New Mosque’ Registration centre at Anyinam Zongo in the Atiwa East Constituency under the supervision of the failed Member of Parliament, who doubles as a Deputy Minister of Finance.

“These thugs have besieged the centre with pick-ups belonging to the state, as some have GV registration number plates, and brandishing sophisticated weapons, and physically preventing Muslims from registering”, the statement noted.

The statement indicated that the “thugs even went to the extent of openly insulting the Chief Imam when the revered religious leader engaged them in a discussion”.

“Again, the District Commander and the MP forcibly retrieved the ID cards of a number of Voltarians, who had been registered unchallenged” even though they are residents of the area and working in Anyinam.

“These and many others, such as intimidation and physically preventing settlers from voting in areas such as Abekwase and others, is unbecoming of the NPP in the constituency”, the NDC complained.

The Eastern Regional NDC Secretariat continued that it sees “these as desperate actions by a failed and clueless government that has become aware of an inevitable defeat at the polls, hence deploying all manner of brute force just to suppress voter registration, and ultimately overturn the will of the people.”

The Regional Secretariat of the NDC further called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the MP for the area “to, as a matter of urgency, return the ID cards of those registered voters, and withdraw these hoodlums from the constituency in order to avert a possible physical resistance by the angry youth of the area.”

The party also impressed upon the government “to ensure that all the processes leading to the December 7 general elections are conducted in a peaceful, safe and transparent manner in order to guarantee a credible outcome worthy of acceptance by all parties”.

“Sadly, the current President thinks otherwise”, the NDC noted, adding: “As a party led by H.E. John Dramani Mahama, we continuously subscribe to a peaceful electoral process”.

“We, however, abhor any desperate attempt by this failed government to discredit the process and we will stand up to resist them with every strength of ours”, the NDC vowed.

It also urged its “members and, indeed, all Ghanaians who are justifiably fed up with the cluelessness, thievery, corruption, insecurity, opulence and nepotism of this NPP government, to get out in their numbers to register and vote for change!”