I am reporting from Cape Coast, where an incident of alleged assault has occurred at a polling station during the ongoing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Primaries.
The incident happened in front of the New Administration (NAT) Hall at Cape Coast, where voting is currently underway. I, a reporter with Coastal Television, was present at the polling station in the line of duty when I was allegedly assaulted by the former Deputy Youth Organizer of the NPP in the Cape Coast North Constituency, identified as Kweku Aboagye.
According to my account, Mr. Aboagye confronted me and claimed he had seen my pictures circulating on social media, where I was described as an “Ambassador for Sanitation” for the Cape Coast Metropolis. Based on this, he alleged that I was a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and insisted that I had no right to be present at an NPP program.
Despite calmly explaining that I was at the polling station purely in my professional capacity as a journalist covering the primaries, the situation escalated. Mr. Aboagye allegedly forcefully booted my hand, causing my mobile phone to fall to the ground and crack on impact.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of journalists covering political events and the need for political actors and supporters to respect press freedom and the rule of law. As of the time of filing this report, no official statement has been issued by the leadership of the NPP in the constituency regarding the matter.
I will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as they unfold.
By Frank Asorba Kofi Essuman
