Grain ban :Minority accuses gov't of using military to intimidate voters

Accra, Ghana - The Minority has leveled allegations against the government, claiming that the recent deployment of military personnel to enforce a ban on grain exports is a ploy to intimidate voters.

The government's ban on grain exports, announced on Monday, August 26, was touted as a measure to address the severe drought affecting the northern regions.

Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul stated that military personnel would be deployed to the country's borders to ensure compliance.

However, the Minority has expressed skepticism about the government's true intentions, alleging that the military deployment is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress votes.

The opposition group claims that the government is using the ban as a pretext to militarize the region and intimidate voters ahead of upcoming elections.

Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, James Agalga, at a presser in Accra on Friday noted that: “If they have no ulterior motives, then they ought to have given us timelines. The fact that there are no timelines gives us reason to suspect that they only used the crisis, related to the drought up north and the potential for us to have some food security challenges, to deploy the military to intimidate voters.”

“Otherwise, there should be timelines. We further backed our assertions with what happened in the roundup of the 2020 elections…So our suspicions are justifiable.”

Source: Lead News Online