Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu
• Okudzeto Ablakwa and Armah Buah have petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the violence that marred the 2020 elections
• He has given details about the victims, both deceased and alive
• He wants CHRAJ to demand compensation for the families of the victims
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, one of the two members of Parliament who have petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over the 2020 general elections has described the event as the ‘bloodiest’ in the history of Ghana.
Okudzeto Ablakwa observed that as far as elections are concerned in the country, the 2020 elections claimed the most lives and left several others injured.
Ablakwa revealed the reason for the petition which he filed along with the Member of Parliament for Ellembele Constituency, Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah.
The North Tongu MP emphasized that it is important the perpetrators of deadly violence across the country are made to face punishment for their actions.
In a Citi FM interview on Thursday, August 26, 2021, Okudzeto said: “the 2020 elections is the bloodiest we’ve had and we believe people must be punished for their actions.”
On Okay FM a day later, Okudzeto Ablakwa made the same argument and gave further details about some of the victims.
“What happened in the 2020 elections has never happened before.. Never in our election has as many as seven people been killed. As we speak there are dozen others who have suffered life changing injuries. In other words, some of the people who were shot but didn’t die have gone through life threatening injuries. Just last week I spoke to one of them, his left arm does not function anymore. A lot of these people are people whose life have been altered permanently by the shooting,” he said.
The petition by Ablakwa and Armah Buah is restricted to the Techiman South, Odododiodio, Ablekuma Central, and Savelugu constituencies in the Bono East, Greater Accra, and Northern Regions respectively.
“The complainants herein bring this matter before the Commission based on the Commission’s legal mandate to investigate the conduct of the security officers complained about in the instant petition in a timeous manner for justice to prevail for the victims and their families,” parts of the petition read.
They are seeking three reliefs which are: “investigations into the matters complained about, compensation to victims or families of victims and disciplinary action and prosecution.”