The Minority has accused the government of using military personnel to intimidate voters, disguising their actions as enforcement of a newly imposed grain export ban.
The government announced the ban on August 26 due to a severe drought affecting the northern regions. Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul stated that military forces have been stationed at borders to implement the ban.
However, the Minority argues that this deployment is a strategic move to suppress voter turnout rather than a genuine effort to enforce the export restrictions.
During a press conference in Accra on Friday, Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee, James Agalga, questioned whether the real purpose behind the military presence is to influence the electoral process.
“If they have no ulterior motives, then they ought to have given us timelines. The fact that there are no timelines gives us reason to suspect that they only used the crisis, related to the drought up north and the potential for us to have some food security challenges, to deploy the military to intimidate voters.”
“Otherwise, there should be timelines. We further backed our assertions with what happened in the roundup of the 2020 elections…So our suspicions are justifiable.”