Pentecostal, Charismatic Council threatens demo over party militia groups

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council has said it will lead its members on a protest of government and the leading opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) fails to act on the party militia menace in the country.

President of the Council, Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso said the church has had enough of the indecisiveness of both political parties on the issue that threatens Ghana’s democratic stability.

“Within the next two months, if we do not see party militias disbanded as we said, we will take to the streets and make a peaceful protest across the nation,” Rev. Manso said.

His call comes after a Joy News exposé which detailed the activities of the group known as De-Eye which operates as a private militia, bearing allegiance to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The group uses the Osu Castle for its meetings and training. Joy News’ Manasseh Azure Awuni who led the investigation said filming of their activities was done in December 2018, defeating government’s position that the group was cleared in October same year.

The leader of the group, Nana Wireko alias ‘Choman,’ is a former personal bodyguard of President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The government insists the group is a company that solicits jobs for its clients at a fee and that it has nothing to do with it.

But the Council is appalled by government’s response to the issue so far and the many other activities of party militia in the country.

Rev. Manso said the Council has been quiet for long and “this time we are serious and we will not allow any politician to display any ‘politricks’ (a Ghanaian term formed from politics and tricks) on us.

“The power belongs to us, we have given it to them and we will make sure that party militia never succeeds.”

He said it is not enough for the two major political parties to disassociate themselves from the activities of the groups, he wants more practical steps to be taken to eradicate their activities in the country.

He wants a call by President Akufo-Addo for the two parties to sit and come out with a plan to disband these groups to be acted upon with or without a mediator – as has been requested by the NDC.

Rev. Manso said the back and forth on the matter by the two major political parties is not benefitting the country.

The Council has threatened to instigate members to reject any of the parties that fail to disband the activities of these groups.