I didn’t abuse EC committee chair – Effutu NDC Parliamentary Candidate
The Effutu NDC Parliamentary candidate, James Kofi Annan, has declared his innocence concerning abuse charges levelled against him.
He said it was not true that he had made criminal comments against the Chairman of the Electoral Committee tasked to review challenge applications in Winneba in the Central Region.
The law governing the challenge process states that when the legitimacy of an applicant is called into question, the EC official must withhold the ID card of the applicant until an EC panel makes a final determination on the person.
It was at the sitting of the committee that the incident happened.
NDC Effutu Parliamentary candidate charged for ‘abusing’ EC committee chairman
Mr Annan has been charged with offensive conduct that breaches peace in the area.
Samuel Asiedu Okanta, the complainant, said Mr Annan abused him on July 21, 2020.
Documents of the case filed at the Winneba District Magistrate said Mr Okanta was chairing the committee at the Latter Day Saints Voter Registration Challenge Centre in Winneba.
Before the start of the processes, the accused walked in and demanded answers as to why the committee had started its hearing without a representative from the NDC.
The complainant then approached the accused and said he was the Chairman of the committee and so he should address him.
The document explained that the comment infuriated Mr Annan who replied, “If you are the Chairman of the committee and so what? You are the reason why we are not enjoying peace in Winneba town”.
Mr Annan, however, told Joy FM, on the same day, that he “did not say those words to the police officer (complainant).”
He was of the view that if he had passed that remark, “what is criminal about those words?”
“So now, we can’t express ourselves?” He questioned. “Is that supposed to be criminal misconduct?”
He pointed out that he was only worried about the review committee’s handling of the matter before it.
Mr Annan said Mr Okanta had shown beyond every doubt that he was “bias and against us (NDC)”.