The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda, was released on bail following his arrest for alleged involvement in disturbances at a voter registration centre on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

A police statement last Sunday indicated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP was detained in connection with a recent disturbance during the limited Voter Registration Exercise in Kukuom, Ahafo Region.

This incident resulted in one individual being injured and hospitalized.

The National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi disclosed that the MP was immediately released on bail following his arrest.

“He [Collins Dauda] was immediately granted bail. So he is currently on bail. The police say they are conducting their investigation, so he will hear from them. Honorable Collins Dauda was not present at the scene,” Mr. Sammy Gyamfi said in an interview with Citi FM.

“He was not there because he was busy in his constituency monitoring the registration process. It was surprising to us when the police issued that statement, implying that Collins Dauda had committed a crime when they knew he was not even at the scene when the incident occurred.”

Mr. Gyamfi strongly criticized the arrest and urged the police to focus on apprehending the true culprits of the disturbance.

“We condemn what the police did and call on them to concentrate on arresting the real perpetrators of that chaos, of those criminal actions. The NPP hoodlums and bandits were led by a known NPP bandit called Anointing.

“He is notorious in the area; everyone knows him, including the police. They know where he lives. The focus should be on arresting and prosecuting those hoodlums who went to the voting center to harass, intimidate, and brutalize innocent citizens.”

Disturbances at voter registration centres

The Limited Voter Registration exercise, which started on May 7, 2024, with a target to register 623,000 eligible persons onto the electoral register, has been characterized by incidents of violations of the law at some registration centers across the country.

A separate police press release stated that there had been disturbances at centres including Cape Coast in the Central Region, Kukuom in the Ahafo Region, and Adugyama in the Ashanti Region.

The release condemned the incidents and warned that offenders “who engage in such acts shall be dealt with accordingly.”