National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC),Johnson Asiedu Nketiahas instructed his party’s Members of Parliament to abstain from any emergency recall of the House, which is currently on an indefinite recess.
Asiedu Nketiah asserted that with Ghana’s general election just three weeks away, any such recall would likely serve as an opportunity for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to engage in corrupt practices rather than addressing urgent government business.
“…Let no NDC MP set foot in Parliament. If they like, they can go and burn the sea. There’s no work in Parliament that can be said to be an emergency. There’s no emergency. Parliament will only be recalled so they can continue with the insatiable corruption they have perpetrated for the past eight years.
They still want to advance the corruption with just three weeks left. We won’t go close to them today or tomorrow,” he stated while addressing a crowd of party enthusiasts as part of his ongoing national campaign.
BREAKING NEWS‼️‼️‼️ NDC National Chairman directs all NDC MPs not to attend any emergency Parliament recall in Parliament. The chief justice can go and occupy the seat of the speaker for npp businesses! #VoteWiselyVoteJohnMahamapic.twitter.com/r4dkKo48zH
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah’s remarks follow a Supreme Court ruling that overturned Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant, including three held by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Speaker had justified his decision by citing Articles 97(g) and (h) of the Constitution, along with precedent, arguing that the affected MPs forfeited their seats by opting to contest the upcoming elections either as independent candidates or under the banner of a different political party.
However, the Supreme Court, in a 5-2 majority ruling, held that an MP can only vacate their seat under Articles 97(g) and (h) if they choose to remain in Parliament while adopting a new political identity.
Reacting to this decision, Asiedu Nketiah accused the Supreme Court of overstepping its constitutional mandate, warning that such actions pose a serious threat to Ghana’s democracy and must be firmly opposed.“The judges can say what they want. We will also use the rules ofParliament to workin Parliament. When we speak of democracy standing firm, democracy does not exist if you take out Parliament.
That is why every nation interested in their democracy must collectively protect their Parliament because your democracy falters if Parliament is weakened, and that would not be allowed to happen. Our Parliament and democracy were built off our blood. We won’t sit and watch one person come and destroy our democracy. That will not happen today or tomorrow,” he stated.
Legal Practitioner, Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, has asked government to gather mettle and acknowledge the blame of the current emergency the Ghanaian economy is confronting instead of fault the worldwide emergency.
According to him, the current government’s incompetence is why the country has colossal debt despite having more revenue sources than any other government since 1957.
Speaking on TV3’s big issues, he said this government should man up and take responsibility for the failure of the economy instead of engaging in blame game.
“What is our total debt today? Do you know by their reason of incompetent management of the exchange rate, they added 98 billion Ghana cedis to our public debt? So please stop globalizing your incompetence, face the fact, man up and say that look I have been irresponsible for the debt situation and that is why we are here.”
Edudzi Tamaklo said there is much expectation from this government because of the excess revenue they have made in the last 6 years in government.
“Do you know that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government have gotten more revenue than all administration since 1957? In fact, by the time NDC left office, the overall financial revenue sources available to the NDC in 8 years was 248 billion Ghana cedis, as I speak to you within the space of 6 years this government, if you put loans, grants, and tax revenue together, this government has gotten in excess of 560 billion just in six years. The bible says to whom much is given much is expected. In the midst of plenty, you have run us aground, what to do is to demonstrate humility,” he said in the interview.
The first emergency call about trouble at Itaewon came in the early evening of 29 October.
“It’s so chilling right now,” the woman said, as she described a chaotic scene on the narrow streets of the Seoul nightlife district.
This was the first of 11 calls made to South Korea’s 112 emergency police hotline, begging police them to control the crowds before the fatal crush happened.
As calls for accountability mount, South Korean police have launched an investigation – with officers on Wednesday raiding the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, as well as police stations, fire stations and emergency call sites to look into whether officers taking the calls fulfilled their duty and took proper measures.
Police have also taken the unusual step of releasing transcripts of the calls.
From anxious warnings to screams of terror, the transcripts paint a horrifying picture of how the situation escalated.
The crowd builds up
In the first emergency call at 18:34 local time – hours before the crush happened – an Itaewon shopkeeper named Ms Park described people getting off at the Itaewon subway station coming up the narrow alley and mixing with people leaving the area, as well as others lining up to enter clubs.
“No one is controlling it right now. The police has to stand and control this. You should let people out first and then let people come in. People keep pouring in while they can’t get out,” she said.
In an interview with local radio station CBS on Wednesday, Ms Park said she made the call after she went for a walk with her daughter and husband and got separated from them by the huge crowds. They eventually regrouped and quickly rushed home.
This narrow alleyway was packed with people trying to make their way out in different directions
She described her terror at being caught up in crowds much bigger than what she was used to seeing in the area on a weekend, and her regret that the incident happened despite her early warning.
“On my way to home in the taxi, I thought if the situation would have been different if I waited there until the police came, by forming a [human barrier] with others, and letting young people know that the situation was dangerous. I regret it,” she said.
“Then the police might have taken stronger control like by blocking the roads or controlling the subway if they knew the situation that more people would come. But there was no police who could make such a decision, or take an action.”
Ms Park said that after her call she did not receive the customary text confirmation from the police informing her of their immediate actions – unusual for South Korean police, which prides itself on speedy and attentive follow-ups.
According to police records obtained by the Yonhap news agency, they mobilised officers for that call, but it is not known how many were sent down and what they did.
Falling and stumbling
The next few calls started coming in about two hours later, from 20:09 onwards.
By then, it was clear the situation had clearly deteriorated. The callers described seeing people stumbling after they were pushed, and getting injured.
“People are falling and things are getting out of control because the road here is blocked at the three-way intersection,” said the third caller.
At the end of the hour at 20:53, the fourth caller describes a harrowing situation near the Bronze nightclub.
The caller described the situation outside the Bronze nightclub (pictured)
“I feel like I am going to get crushed… many people are being crushed… it is chaos,” the caller says over a crackling phone line. They repeatedly beg the officer to “please help us”.
The officer assures the caller that they will send policemen to the scene. But police records showed they did not.
In fact, out of the 11 phone calls made to police, they only mobilised officers for four of them.
They did not dispatch anyone for any calls made from 21:07 onwards – the hour leading up to the crush.
Authorities said they had 137 officers on the ground at Itaewon that night. But they were clearly outmatched by the thousands that flocked to the area.
In one viral clip on social media, a lone police officer is seen in a massive crowd desperately shouting and trying to direct people away.
The final hour
On Saturday night, the calls kept streaming in steadily, getting briefer – and more urgent.
“I think there is going to be a real accident soon. Everything is insane,” said the sixth caller.
The eighth phone call at 21:10 was made in front of the Maman-e Kwangjang restaurant about 100 metres from Hamilton Hotel, and described people getting crushed there – illustrating how far the crowds extended to.
There was a lull of about 40 minutes. Then the final calls came in thick and fast, mostly from ground zero – the alley right by Hamilton Hotel.
The tenth caller appeared to be babbling in a panic.
“Yes, however, here, oh my, to come down the alley, I’m afraid, people are pushing and I think I am going to get crushed, please take control, yes,” they said.
In the last call at 22:11 – one of the briefest calls made – the caller dispensed with ceremony. Immediately after the police pick up, the person said urgently: “It feels like people can be stampeded here.”
The officer asked repeatedly where they were exactly, but was unable to get a clear answer. Then, this exchange occurred:
Officer: I am going to trace your location. Yes. Are you near Yongsan station, Itaewon station?
Caller: Ahhh (screaming), ahhh (screaming). The road behind Itaewon.
Officer: Yes. The police will be there.
The call ends abruptly. Four minutes later, the deadly crush began.
Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery says government will only lift the curfew in Bawku if there is total peace and security.
Mr. Dery says the current breakdown of law and order in the area affects development.
Ambrose Dery’s comment comes after calls for government to lift the age-old curfew necessitated by conflicts in the area.
But the Minister says all other bans will be lifted if peace is restored.
“If you give us peace, we will see how we will review the curfew in the next few weeks, but if you tell us the only thing you know is war, we will increase it. [I am not sure that is what you want]”, he said.
Last week, the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) announced the enforcement of additional security measures in Bawku.
The revised security actions are to stem the renewed fighting in the community.
After its emergency meeting, REGSEC resolved on the following measures:
The Police, Ghana Immigration Service and the Military are allowed to use official motorbikes between 6:00am to 6:00pm.
Temporary ban on ‘yellow, yellow’ operations until further notice.
Curfew hours to cover Nayoka, Kpalgu and Manga.
“Please ensure strict compliance”, a statement from the Office of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council said.
The decision came after at least three persons were reportedly shot by unknown persons.
A transformer belonging to the Northern Electricity Development Company was also destroyed during the shooting incident.
A physiotherapist from Ghana, Alberta Amissah Rockson, has been elected co-chair of theEmergency Committee of the World Rehabilitation Alliance’s (WRA) of World Health Organisation (WHO).
Following two stints as the National President, PT Rockson is now the National Chairperson of the Ghana Physiotherapy Association. Additionally, she currently serves on the board of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
The World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA) was launched in 2022 to conduct evidence-based advocacy activities that increase awareness and demand for rehabilitation, networking and knowledge-sharing and to create a shared understanding and narrative around rehabilitation.
