Commandos party after Atiwa elections

STORY: DUKE YANKSON

It was a gesture embedded with two main objectives: first, to thank the commandos for a well executed plot during the Atiwa bye-election; and second, to re-affirm the state security apparatus’ commitment to the quasi-military unit that their comfort is a guaranteed-priority if they carry out any assignment successfully in future.

The National Security had organised a party for some 60 commandos who took part in the recently held bye-election at the Atiwa Constituency. The date was Thursday, September 2nd, 2010.

The party was held in one of the wooden structures that National Security uses as a classroom to train recruits and others who would be earmarked for refresher courses at the Bluegate, near the Accra Sports Stadium.

Commandos, who could not make it to the party, probably due to other commitments, Today gathered, would be offered money as a way of rewarding them too for the maximum efforts they put in the Atiwa election for the NDC to realise its set target.

The mandate-set for the commandos was to intimidate and harass NPP supporters from turning out in their numbers to vote on the voting day of the bye-election. In line with the set objective, the commandos were offered 32 Pick-ups to facilitate the smooth operation of the exercise.

That enabled them to travel to almost every polling station of the day of the bye-election and with the blatant display of the mean posture and other sophisticated military accoutrements they largely succeeded in cowing prospective NPP voters and sympathizers from voting.

This, to the National Security, was a great achievement that needed to be rewarded, hence the post “Atiwa victory party for the quasi-military unit.”

The paper gathered from on the spot assessment during the election day that the numerous acts of vandalism at the many polling stations was occasioned by the state commandos with its escalating effects necessitated by the NPP’s resistance group – the Bamba Boys, who were also mandated by the main opposition group to offer a carbon representation of the commando thuggery.

National Security Advisor, Brigadier-General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah’s speech to the commandos at the party was brief, concise and straight to the point.

He thanked them for helping the government party to achieve its set-target at the Atiwa bye-election.

The target was to make sure that the NPP reduces its 2008 Election votes and presto through the commando intimidations, most NPP supporters and sympathizers were scared away from voting on the bye-election day, thus reducing the over 26,000 votes garnered by the opposition party in the 2008 Election to 20,000 in the bye-election.

Minister of Interior, Martin Amidu, the only Cabinet Minister, to have attended the party was all smiles that his subordinates had mapped out a strategy to snuff-out a possible NPP bragging right if the numbers had increased more than the 26,000 that the NPP had in the last election.

He heartily chatted and interacted with the commandos for a well executed job, hoping that they feat will be replicated in the 2102 General Election.

Deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Segbefia, was also in attendance, so were other high ranking National Security staff members like Larry Gbevlo Lartey, the National Security Coordinator, his two deputies – Korsivi Degbor and Danquah – as well as Gustav Adade.

The party started as early as 10 a.m., and ended close to 1 p.m. The early setting of the party was to enable the commandos most of whom are serving in many military installations to return to post as early as possible. The rest who had travelled from outside of Accra will also have enough time to go back to their bases in other parts of the country.

There was a lot to drink, eat and package back home. Some of the drinks included Beer, Guinness stout and other hard liquor and wine.

The leadership of the National Security found comfort more in the moderate beer and Guinness, while the younger commando group engaged in a pure liquor bout as if to suggest which one of them had the forte to outdo others in a marathon drinking spree.

The variety of rice dishes made food selection quite an arduous task. The plain, fried and jollof rice were all very appetizing that settling on one became a thorny and hard decision to make.

Nonetheless, the hungry-looking commandos found a way out. Most of them parceled the leftovers back to their bases.

Although the paper could not immediately know monies offered to each one of the commandos, the sheer size of the envelopes distributed after the brunch suggested that their transport fares back to their bases was quite substantial.