One month term for Short Commission too short – Aning

The one month given to the Emile Short Commission to finish its work into the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence has been described as “horribly short”.

Dr. Kwesi Aning said the three-member commission with a secretary has a lot of work to do dreading how much they can do within the one month period.

Speaking on MultiTV/Joy FM’s news analysis show, Newsfile, Saturday, the Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre (KAIPTC) hopes the Commission would be furnished with the resources that they need to work.

“…they would need solid forensic support…access to laptops, mobile phones and draw the networks that supported recruitment, the funding, functionalization and all sorts of things,” he said.

Kwesi Aning wants the commission to be furnished with appropriate resources

So “I hope they have a supporting infrastructure that would facilitate their work,” he added.

Speaking on the composition of the Commission, Dr. Aning added to the voices of other experts that the integrity of the members is impeccable.

“Based on what we know of the four, putting the facts on the table is not the problem,” he asserted.

Besides the Emile Short who chairs the commission, Law lecturer, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and former Inspector-General of Police, Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong have listed.

Private legal practitioner and former Dean of the GIMPA Law School, Dr. Ernest Kofi Abotsi, has also been appointed and sworn in as Secretary to the Commission.

But Dr. Aning expressed concern that notwithstanding the integrity of the commission, the political will of the powers that be to implement their recommendation is what Ghanaians should be worried about.

The commission was established by Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia on Wednesday with the blessing of President Akufo-Addo who is out of the jurisdiction.

It follows the violence that ensued at La Bawaleshie, a part of the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in the early hours of the January 31 by-election.

Armed men stormed the residence of the opposition NDC candidate, Delali Kwesi Brempong and reportedly attacked sympathisers of the NDC.

Eyewitnesses say the men engaged in a shooting spree and more or less put the candidate under house arrest.

The governing NPP retained the seat at the close of polls and the candidate Lydia Alhassan has since been sworn in.

Source: Ghana| Myjoyonline.com