Former Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC) and 2024 presidential candidate Bernard Mornah has warned against any attempt to mobilise groups for political violence, specifically raising concerns about the role of newly elected NPP First National Vice Chairman Kojo Fosu Boadu, popularly known as Kojo Bamba.
Speaking in an interview on Radio Gold, Mr Mornah cautioned that the mobilisation of party supporters for confrontation could threaten Ghana’s peace and trigger retaliatory action from opposing political groups.
His comments come following the election of Kojo Bamba as First National Vice Chairman of the NPP, after he topped the party’s 13-member vice-chairmanship contest with 3,116 votes at the National Delegates Conference in Kumasi.
Kojo Bamba previously gained national prominence as a leader of the Delta Force, a pro-NPP vigilante group in the Ashanti Region. In 2017, he was arrested following an incident in which members of the group stormed the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council in protest against the appointment of a Regional Security Liaison Officer.
During his campaign for the NPP vice-chairmanship, Bamba also projected himself as a strong grassroots figure who could protect party members and safeguard the party’s interests at polling stations during elections.
Against that background, Mr Mornah said political leaders must not use their positions to mobilise groups to intimidate opponents or disturb public peace.
“We will not hold our hands at our backs and allow Bamba and his mobilisation to come and disturb anybody,” he stated.
Mr Mornah warned that any attempt to deploy groups for violent political activity could provoke an equally forceful response.
“Anytime we see that they are coming, we are also ready to pull out ours. So in such circumstances, if you bring violence, we will confront you with violence,” he said.
He also referred to previous political demonstrations and internal NPP contests in making his case, arguing that Ghana must guard against the use of organised groups as instruments of political confrontation.
Mr Mornah maintained that the election of political party officials should not become a licence for the mobilisation of groups to intimidate opponents, warning that such a development could have serious consequences for the country’s peace and security.
Story by Afornorfe Lucy
