The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has given government a 30-day ultimatum to pay compensation for victims of the Ayawaso West Wuogon (AWW) by-election violence.

This was in the NDC’s solidarity message to victims on January 31, 2023, four years after the incident, stating the compensation should be fair and adequate.

Lawyers for the victims in October 2021 rejected a compensation package for their clients while calling for more engagement and transparency on the matter.

The lawyers, Abraham Amaliba and Victor Kodjoga Adawudu, said the National Security Ministry did not engage them and therefore they were unaware of what went into the computation of the compensation package.

But the NDC in the statement blamed the Attorney General for failing to discuss modalities of the payment of compensation.

To the party, the government’s failure to also comply with recommendations from the report of the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry makes the situation more worrying.

“The NDC is appalled by the blatant refusal of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to implement the recommendations of the Emile Short Commission and its own White Paper on this matter.

“It is shameful, to say the least, that till date, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has not deemed it necessary to prosecute the perpetrators of the Ayawaso by-election violence,” the statement signed by the NDC Secretary Fifi Kwetey bemoaned.

The party has stated they can never forget the shame and disgrace that the dastardly event occasioned to the country.

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They have there vowed to take all the necessary steps to ensure the victims get the appropriate compensation.

The by-election in 2019 was supposed to be a simple democratic process to find a replacement for then Member of Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko following his death but turned into a blood bath.  

Some NDC supporters were shot, maimed and assaulted by operatives of the National Security who were on the electoral ground.

President Akufo-Addo, following the violence, formed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the matter and suggest recommendations on what needed to be done.

The President, however, rejected some of the findings and suggestions made by the Commission to the displeasure of the NDC.  

Below is the NDC’s solidarity statement: