Don't blame Parliament for your voter suppression efforts - Agbodza tells EC

Name: Don't blame Parliament for your voter suppression efforts - Agbodza tells EC | AM Newspaper Review
Uploaded: 2023-09-21T09:12:07+00:00
Duration: 26 min 32 s
Channel: The Multimedia group

00:00 Hello there, it's a little under 20 minutes to the top of the hour.

00:03 Thank you for staying here on the AM show.

00:05 I'm Bernice Abubidu-Lunton.

00:07 If you just joined us, we are virtually dedicating today

00:10 to Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who is being celebrated

00:14 the world over the conversations about his legacy, the conversations

00:18 about his party, the Conventions People's Party and where they stand for

00:22 and whether they've been able to live up to the expectation of the founder.

00:27 We'll have those conversations shortly, but it's time now for

00:29 our news review and joining me for that is

00:33 NDC parliamentary candidate elect for South,

00:36 Tung Maxwell Lukuto. Good morning to you, Maxwell.

00:40 How are you doing and how are you commemorating today?

00:45 Yeah, good morning, Bernice.

00:47 Good morning to your viewers and your listeners.

00:51 I'm pretty good.

00:52 The weather is not too good for most of us.

00:54 It's affecting my voice, but I think we can manage.

00:58 Talking about Kwame Nkrumah Memorial

01:00 or Commemoration Day, I think I would want to sit down quietly

01:06 and then go through myself, look at the ideals

01:11 that Dr Osagie told Dr Kwame Nkrumah to for his resilience,

01:17 his fortitude, his vision for Ghana

01:21 and how he stood in the whole of Africa.

01:25 That the history of Africa cannot be told or written

01:28 without the name of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

01:30 It's a mark that he struck for us as Ghanians

01:34 and it's something we should continually celebrate

01:36 and want to be identified with.

01:39 I as an individual, as I said earlier,

01:41 would want to go through myself and then look at what he stood for

01:45 and what I can also do for our country, Ghana and for Africa as a whole.

01:49 And so I think it's a day that has to be celebrated properly

01:54 because the little ones who are coming up

01:55 to know about the things Dr Kwame Nkrumah did for us in Ghana

02:00 and most of the little ones is fading away.

02:03 They are not too sure.

02:04 I'm not sure we continually write books to commemorate him.

02:08 And I think days like this are days that the story has to be completely told

02:12 for those young ones that are coming up to also learn a thing or two.

02:16 Know who Kwame Nkrumah really was and is for Ghana.

02:20 Like you said, Kwame Nkrumah never died.

02:22 And so he shouldn't let you die.

02:24 Yeah. And that's an interesting point you make about the younger generation

02:28 learning about who he he was and what he stood for.

02:31 I had an interaction with two of his children, Samia and Sekou,

02:34 and it's something they agree on.

02:36 But it was interesting that for the two of them, there were some

02:40 some points of disagreement on his legacy entirely.

02:44 But I mean, we reserve that for later on in the show.

02:48 But let's get on to myjoyonline.com and what's happening in the news.

02:52 This one says EC can go to court if it feels frustrated by a parliament

03:00 regarding constitutional instruments, and that's according to Andy Apia Kube.

03:05 And also this one from Roxanne Nelson Daffy Amepo,

03:10 EC doesn't need a new law to decentralize limited voter registration.

03:14 And we also have the EC chairperson there.

03:17 I'm just trying to put the stories that are related together.

03:20 Don't blame parliament for your voter suppression efforts.

03:24 That comes along with the EC chairperson's photo.

03:26 That's from Abuja.

03:29 Now, let me just find out from you.

03:31 I believe that you've been following the limited voters

03:34 registration exercise and all the news that has come up.

03:37 The EC's press conference that

03:40 aimed at addressing the concerns raised, particularly

03:45 by the minority in parliament and the National Democratic Congress,

03:50 which you are a member of.

03:51 How do you generally feel about all that's happening, the fallout so far?

03:55 Yeah, I'm just not reading news, but I'm practically on the ground.

04:01 And I am at the peak of events, especially my constituency,

04:05 to make sure that all those who have to register,

04:08 we help somehow to get them to register.

04:13 Because apparently the situation is that most of these constituencies

04:16 or districts, some communities are very hard to reach.

04:20 And traveling from one end to the district capital to go through the process

04:24 is daunting and challenging.

04:27 And so we as leaders, if we don't help, it's going to be avoided by the EC.

04:32 Maybe you are just interested in getting some people into the electoral roll.

04:37 And the reality on the ground is that there are a lot more people

04:40 who want to get on the electoral roll, especially because for the past two years,

04:45 people have not had the opportunity to get a role.

04:47 And so there are large numbers coming to the centers to want to register.

04:51 I go to the center on a daily basis to ensure that those who have to be supported

04:57 from the far to reach communities are brought to these centers to get them a role.

05:01 The numbers we have every day is so challenging.

05:04 I am proud to say that in the Boka region,

05:08 my constituency has always been a first, second or third in the number of people

05:12 we are able to register on a daily basis because we have put a lot of mechanisms

05:16 in place to help these ones to go through the registration process effortlessly.

05:22 And so the challenge is on the ground.

05:25 And I'm sure that the numbers EC is seeing, the videos

05:29 they are seeing from the centers and the pictures they are seeing,

05:32 who know to them that there are a lot more of the people on the ground

05:35 who have to go through this process.

05:38 And so for me, the last time I had her say that

05:40 you would want to do some other things to help the process

05:43 by getting to the heart to reach areas to ensure that all those

05:47 who have to register go through the process.

05:49 I'm not too sure what they have, obviously.

05:52 I'm not too sure whether they are intending to increase the number of days.

05:55 But sincerely, at my point, my expectation is to get about 12,000 people

06:01 onto the road.

06:02 So far, I have less than 2,000 and two weeks is almost gone.

06:06 And I'm not too sure how we get the 10,000 onto the road.

06:10 We are making an average of now about 180.

06:14 There are about the last time we got over 300.

06:18 Yesterday, we were around 279.

06:21 And so based on a few three days,

06:24 we could say that we have an average of about 250.

06:27 But I guess it is about 400 people a day or more.

06:32 So the numbers we are getting is an average of 250 or 300.

06:37 As a number of these gives me just about 6,000.

06:39 And that is just about half of the numbers I am expecting.

06:43 So the reality is that there is a lot of challenge on the ground.

06:46 And the earlier we find flexible and practical solutions to these issues,

06:51 the better it will be for all of us.

06:53 Yes, I heard Dr. Nana Eskibi Asante yesterday talking about asthma

06:58 who key our eyes into the eyes of the EC

07:03 and to allow their fairness to run through the system.

07:05 But they feel that practically on the ground,

07:08 they feel that they are planning to do.

07:10 We are not happy with the numbers.

07:11 Every day, there are people who come to the centers and go back

07:14 without being registered.

07:15 So we still have to hear that the people have to register

07:20 and it is their civic responsibility, right?

07:22 Let's not impede any of the processes and allow them

07:26 freely to come to the room and also exercise their franchise

07:30 during this district assembly elections and also the next year's

07:35 general election. So for me,

07:38 they should look at the system and make sure that we work it out for all of us.

07:41 And Mr. Lukoto, and I've heard politicians both from the MPP and NDC

07:46 talk about how they are facilitating the process

07:50 for some young people in their communities.

07:52 And I'm just curious, you said you are hoping to help how many people?

07:57 Twelve thousand?

07:59 Yes. And these twelve thousand, who are they?

08:02 Is it how are you doing this?

08:05 Are you looking for people who have your personal interests?

08:08 Just just tell us how you go about finding these young people.

08:12 Are you just massing them up or you have a certain criteria you're looking at?

08:16 No, of course, this is criteria is what we are using.

08:20 The people should have never registered before.

08:23 They should be 80 years above and of sound mind.

08:26 I'm sure those are the basic requirements to be registered as a voter.

08:31 And so, you know, we have our police centers, our branches

08:34 all over the country, where is that in my country?

08:37 I have a hundred and sixty six police centers or branches.

08:41 We have executives over all these places.

08:44 This is a case here from all communities.

08:47 And so if I had a negative in one particular community,

08:50 you know, the people who have a teenage or 80

08:55 of sound mind and who are never registered as voters.

08:59 And so they compile this list of people and to encourage them to go to the

09:03 district electoral commission to go and have their name registered.

09:06 If some of them do not have a transport to come to the center,

09:11 we need to help by mobilizing them to come to the center to get their name

09:15 registered, because for us as a party, we are.

09:17 It is the party.

09:20 And so whatever we have to do to get this people coming, we will do.

09:23 But sincerely, it's not about going to identify who an NDC person is

09:28 to aid the person to come to the center.

09:30 You cannot be too sure who the person is.

09:32 But once the person has that in the age of 80 and is of some mind

09:36 and can register, you only have by bringing them together.

09:39 Don't forget, if I become an MP of my constituency,

09:42 I will not be open to those who are NDC people,

09:45 but everybody will say, so as it is now, I'm letting everybody,

09:50 anybody who wants to come and register on the road.

09:53 And that's what we are doing.

09:54 So it is nothing.

09:55 I'm down wherever you find yourself as a party leader.

09:58 It is your responsibility to get your people to come and register

10:01 to aid your people.

10:05 That's not quite me.

10:07 OK, all right.

10:08 It's not quite people.

10:09 It's about anybody in this community who has a bit of 80 who want to register.

10:14 I cannot be too sure who is my party member because as of this date,

10:18 they have not been involved in any partisan activity.

10:21 Those in the GSS and the secondary schools are not allowed by the law

10:25 to do any party politics.

10:27 So you cannot be too sure who belongs to one political party

10:31 or the other.

10:32 It is when they become voters and after 18 years,

10:36 that they decide which political party they want or wish to join.

10:39 So we are only aiding the process, not taking critical notice

10:43 of who belongs to my party or not.

10:45 So it's a process we are going through.

10:48 All right. Now let's look at this one, which is turning out to be something else.

10:53 Occupy Julo B House demonstration.

10:55 Organizers duly served court process through lawyers.

11:00 Organizers duly served court process through lawyers.

11:03 That's according to the police.

11:04 This is because when you scroll down just after

11:07 the president's speech to the UN Security Council,

11:11 you see the Occupy Julo B House.

11:14 We have not been served.

11:15 Our process will proceed as planned.

11:16 That's according to Democracy Hub.

11:18 And a few hours after that, the police service responded to say

11:22 they had been served through their lawyers because Democracy Hub

11:26 in its own letter to the police indicated that the court correspond

11:30 via their lawyers, and that's what the police has done.

11:33 But I've been listening to reactions from a convener of Democracy Hub,

11:38 Oliver Barker-Vormer, who's been saying that they will not be stopped.

11:43 They will not do anything untoward.

11:47 They're going to have their hands raised to suggest that they are not there to

11:50 cause any mayhem.

11:53 But the police insist that any gathering today will be an unlawful one.

11:58 How do you see how this has panned out

12:01 from the time the Democracy Hub expressed its intention

12:06 to embark on this three day demonstration?

12:09 Madam Minister, it's becoming one too many for the Ghana Police Service

12:15 to be acting as a convict or as a thief for this government

12:20 in any civilized demonstration,

12:24 in any grouping, one to another.

12:27 It's becoming like they have made up their mind

12:29 that they're not going to allow anybody to undertake any protest,

12:33 demonstration or whatever.

12:35 So as soon as you notify them that you want to go in a demonstration,

12:38 they find every and any reason to stop you

12:41 to wanting to go for this demonstration or the picketing.

12:45 Barker-Vormer, as we have known him,

12:48 picks the country fame, has gone to a series of these demonstrations

12:53 and picketing, and they are the allies of this demonstration.

12:57 And they have never been violent.

12:58 We have known and we have seen their actions.

13:01 I don't think they are a violent group of people

13:04 that government or police have to be so scared about

13:08 that they will not allow them to go picket for three days.

13:11 I don't see what is so critical about this is that the government of the day

13:15 is so scared about and they have put in every machinery

13:19 to ensure that people are prevented from exercising their democratic rights.

13:24 For me, it's not safe.

13:26 And it's not in the best of shape.

13:32 And look at our parliamentarians, those who hold the law,

13:36 those who promulgate our laws, also want to go and occupy BOT

13:40 and look at the back and forth we are having with these people.

13:43 Every day they say, you cannot pass here.

13:45 You can only go through this place.

13:46 You can't get to this extent.

13:48 It's a security zone.

13:50 It's a national security.

13:51 This is that it is this is that.

13:53 And it's great.

13:56 The kind of democracy we want to practice.

13:59 The last I heard the IDP say that it is the world's best practices

14:03 that the Ghana police service is taking and wish to get to.

14:08 So if it is the best practice we wish to get to,

14:11 I will not see the worst.

14:13 I will not see demonstrations being held every day.

14:15 I will not see picketing being done every day at various places.

14:19 What is so serious about the bank of Ghana?

14:21 What is so serious about the Jubilee House?

14:23 And if we are not going to the forefront,

14:25 they are going to light up just to picket maybe sit on their tree,

14:28 have their flag up, display whatever they have,

14:31 and sit down there as long as they wish to be.

14:34 I don't see what is so serious about this.

14:36 There are a lot of people who are coming to class.

14:38 But but but does it make any difference that in the past

14:43 year and a half or maybe two years, we have been put on high alert

14:48 even way before we started seeing these coups happening in the south region

14:53 that terrorism was closer to us now than we ever imagined.

14:57 And there are concerns that these are very key installations

15:02 in the country, the bank of Ghana and the Jubilee House.

15:06 Does it make any difference the situation we find ourselves in now?

15:11 And and the fear that not necessarily organizers of these demonstrations,

15:17 but criminal elements could take advantage of these demonstrations

15:23 and where they are being held to, you know, promote crime or their own agenda.

15:28 We want to be here and act as if we don't have an intelligence unit

15:35 in the police service or in the security service.

15:37 These things don't happen overnight.

15:39 People would have to plan, think about when they have to do that before they execute.

15:43 So if we are put in there every day,

15:47 these things should be not be too much of a worry to us.

15:51 And does it mean that because there is terrorism, there is coup

15:55 all over the south region, our democratic rights,

15:58 our civic rights that we have as Ghanaians should not be excised?

16:01 No. The issues that bring these things are the things that I think

16:06 we should critically be looking at.

16:07 So I actually was listening to our president in the U.S.

16:12 summit talking to the West about how they could let good governance

16:18 and then equality before the law and all those best practices

16:22 happen in Africa. And I asked, what are we doing to ourselves to ensure that

16:27 the people we rule over are satisfied with the way we are ruling over them?

16:32 The EC, we are going through a registration process to go to vote.

16:36 We are not too sure who is coming to register and who is coming to vote.

16:39 And the stature we see of the EC is as if they want to prevent

16:45 a lot more of the people from registering.

16:47 If it is easy that you are stopping them from their basic rights,

16:50 they may want to take it to their streets.

16:52 So for me, if we are really serious and want to stop some of this,

16:57 in the last I heard that some Bagna guys in Westin region

17:02 decided to have a meeting and they were arrested.

17:04 This was how long are we going to continue arresting people?

17:07 Is it that we don't pick intel or we don't work with intel?

17:10 That's why we are firefighting all these things.

17:13 I don't think this is the best way to fight this thing.

17:16 It is our picking good intel that will help us solve some of these challenges.

17:19 People are coming to pick it.

17:21 How many people come there?

17:22 50 of them, 100 of them.

17:24 And we are seeing that police force we have in Ghana cannot handle these people.

17:29 If people are coming to break their front and to do other things,

17:34 it should be picked by intel.

17:36 They should know what is happening every day in this country.

17:39 And so for me, we should let intel work more than this firefighting system

17:44 that we want to put in place.

17:45 And it's becoming not safe for the police to be seen

17:48 as people breaking the civil rights of people.

17:52 And if that continues, they may be looking for other ways

17:55 to attack anybody and everybody.

17:58 I'm not saying that those things are right.

18:00 I'm only saying that let's be civilized and circumspect

18:04 with the way we do our things as a people so that people don't take the law

18:08 into their own hands.

18:09 If they feel that they have been unnecessarily denied their rights

18:13 to do whatever they think they are entitled to,

18:15 they may want to go to other angles.

18:17 So for us, let us rather go back to the drawing board

18:20 and allow people to do whatever they have to do.

18:22 We provide whatever security we have to provide, monitor them

18:26 and make sure that we pick intel to avert some of the worst things we have.

18:30 So scared of. For me, that should be it.

18:33 Not unnecessarily stopping people from demonstrating.

18:36 So even parliamentarians are afraid to unleash it. No.

18:40 So for me, let us look at the reality on the ground

18:43 and play by the rules of engagement.

18:45 Right. So let's see what's happening on other news portals.

18:49 Let's check out Graphic Online and bring you what's happening there.

18:53 And then we will just quickly touch on some world news on BBC.

18:59 So, OK, this one, it's been trending on social media.

19:03 Shatawa Laystone Boy clash of a booking of a craft sports stadium

19:07 and Russian embassy disavows

19:11 a large connection to Wagner mercenaries.

19:14 And you just made reference to that consortium commits

19:17 ten million dollars to lithium drilling.

19:20 And people presidential primary doctor could have commenced a backing winner

19:24 and GFA presidential race, if free, it turns to cast for justice.

19:29 OK, and there's a big one on

19:33 Nana, Dr. Eskibi Asante telling the EC or telling politicians

19:39 rather not to impede work of the EC and judiciary.

19:45 So we've touched a bit on that.

19:47 But let me just find out from you, Mr.

19:50 Luka, do you follow entertainment news?

19:52 Yeah, sometimes I do, and my favorite is boom boy.

19:58 OK. All right.

20:00 But have you heard what's happening with regards to the. Yes.

20:04 That's always been on this little

20:06 noisy and always want to make the news in a bad way.

20:12 I'm not too sure what is fighting over.

20:15 This is a space and people who have oversight responsibility

20:20 as to how it is money.

20:21 And this is a normal process.

20:23 This and you've been giving your date.

20:25 So I have also been given his date.

20:28 Why the fact of making so much noise about why he's been given

20:31 opportunity to organize his concert?

20:34 I really don't know.

20:36 But I think the issue here is that the

20:39 Satawale actually released a flyer, right, of a program

20:45 he's intending to have on a particular day in December.

20:48 And he said the across stadium was the venue.

20:51 Apparently he hadn't paid for it.

20:53 So this is what SM fans are saying in the spirit of brotherliness.

20:58 You knew or they are expecting that Stoneboy would have known

21:03 because of Satawale's flyer that he had intended to use the place on that day

21:08 and not go ahead to book it

21:12 on the same day.

21:13 Right. So that's where the issue is.

21:16 But there are those who also say if you haven't paid for the venue,

21:20 why advertise it?

21:23 Yeah, so he hasn't gone to the mill.

21:25 So why is he advertising?

21:27 But in the spirit in the spirit of brotherliness, I mean,

21:30 or that is where we are assuming then that

21:33 probably Stoneboy didn't know.

21:36 Yeah, I don't know what was the official notification to Stoneboy.

21:42 I'm not sure Stoneboy has officially been informed.

21:45 Right, right, right, right.

21:47 And I'm not too sure we are using the same day.

21:49 Stoneboy is not using the same day.

21:50 Shatters is on 28th, I guess.

21:53 And Stoneboy, I think, is on the 23rd or so.

21:55 So what's the what's the what's the.

21:57 Is that is that it? Is that it?

21:59 OK, I don't I don't remember reading that, though.

22:01 But I mean, it's it's it's it's it's it's trending on social media.

22:04 So we just decided to touch touch and go on it.

22:07 All right. So we just have a few more minutes.

22:10 Let's see what's happening on international news portal, the BBC.

22:15 And we'll just wrap it all up.

22:18 All right. So Poland to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine.

22:21 Interesting. Hmm.

22:24 OK, that one on sports.

22:30 I'm interested in sports. Let's come down.

22:32 Champions League reaction.

22:34 Manchester United lose at Bayern Arsenal trash PSV.

22:40 And Manchester United lost to Bayern because of me.

22:43 That's according to Onana.

22:45 I have been following the English Premier League since it resumed.

22:49 And I'm not sure what you make of Onana's performance.

22:55 That's if you watch football at all.

22:57 The new keeper of the United Manchester United club.

23:01 There are those who are coming for him, and he admits here

23:05 in this particular case that Manchester United lost the game because of him.

23:09 Do you see that his his

23:13 his time with the club will be short lived?

23:16 There are those who've predicted that, though.

23:18 You see that quite you are.

23:22 Yes, I do. So we have a man you find.

23:26 And so.

23:29 So unfortunately that we are seeing ourselves

23:35 in this situation we find ourselves in.

23:38 Onana is not as happy as we thought he was going to do.

23:43 And it's unfortunate.

23:45 And so yesterday I decided not to watch the match.

23:48 And for me, it is not the best situation we find ourselves in.

23:53 I think that he should back up, else you see the back of his ass.

23:58 We are a big club.

24:01 Our fan base is so large.

24:03 And he shouldn't continue to make us not have a good supper.

24:07 And so for me, the earlier he reduces his tactics and his game,

24:13 the better it will be for all of us.

24:15 So, Bernice, please leave it here.

24:17 I don't want to talk about people's mistakes.

24:20 I'm so sorry about that.

24:22 But I mean, I thought Ten Hag had the magic, right?

24:25 I thought that he was going to be the

24:27 the difference to the Manchester United team.

24:32 How do you feel about your coach, though?

24:33 At the end of the day, once you lose a game,

24:39 it is a coach that you can blame.

24:42 Hmm. But Arsenal is still...

24:45 Even though much of the play is to do better in school.

24:49 We just play...

24:50 Hello?

24:53 Hello, I can hear you.

24:54 Sorry, the line is breaking a bit.

24:56 Yeah, so like we say, at the end of the day,

25:01 it is the coach who decides who does what.

25:02 And so I feel like we should go back to the drawing board

25:05 and ensure that what we expect from him, we get.

25:08 We were not expecting that loss yesterday

25:11 and the happiness.

25:12 So between him and Unana, I'm sure this will sit again.

25:16 And look at what they can do to help us revive our spirits

25:20 and remain loyal supporters.

25:23 All right. Let's see how it goes for Manchester United.

25:26 Meanwhile, Arsenal is still in top form

25:29 because they beat PSV.

25:31 And well, let's see how it also pans out in the English Premier League.

25:36 But thank you so much for your time, Mr Lukaku.

25:38 He is the NDC's parliamentary candidate-elect for South Tonga.

25:43 We've been talking about the major news on the various portals,

25:46 Graphic Online, My Joy Online, and we just touched on that one from the BBC.

25:53 There's more coming up in sports.

25:56 Mubarak Harunah is standing by with the latest.

25:58 Do stay with us.

25:59 [Music]

26:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Don't blame Parliament for your voter suppression efforts - Agbodza tells EC | AM Newspaper Review

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