The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier-General Michael Opoku, is being used by President Nana Akufo-Addo to rig the 7 December 2024 polls in favour of the incumbent New Patriotic Party, the main opposition National Democratic Congress has alleged.

“In his current position, Brigadier-General Opoku has been mandated by President Akufo-Addo to take charge of a well-crafted scheme that has been designed by the New Patriotic Party to rig the upcoming election, particularly in the Ashanti region, through ballot stuffing, swapping of ballot boxes, swapping of pink sheets, and other clandestine activities starting with the special voting exercise scheduled for December 2nd,” NDC’s National Communication Officer Sammy Gyamfi alleged at a press conference on Tuesday, 19 November 2024.

The party says Brig-Gen Opoku was inducted into his current position in July so he can carry out the “calculated” rigging plot.

“The name of this man must ring a bell to Ghanaians as he is the person who masterminded the mayhem and brutalities inflicted on innocent Ghanaians during the infamous Ayawaso West Wugon bye-elections on January 31, 2019,” Mr Gyamfi recalled, adding: “As Director of Operations at the National Security Secretariat, Colonel Michael Kwadwo Opoku, as he was then known, commandeered and unleashed NPP thugs, including 'Double' to attack innocent civilians. You will recall, that many innocent Ghanaians were shot, brutalised and maimed. Not even the sitting Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Hon. Samuel Nartey George was spared by the NPP thugs acting under the guise of National Security.”

He added that when Col Michael Opoku, as he was then known, appeared before the Emile Short Commission after the incident, “admitted that the masked NPP bandits who attacked and maimed innocent civilians did so under his express instructions. “

“It is instructive to note, that the Short Commission placed ultimate liability on this military officer who is the subject of this press conference. The Commission recommended that he be reprimanded ‘for being ultimately responsible for the outcome of the SWAT operation at the La Bawaleshie School Polling Station’,” noting “sadly but unsurprisingly,” that “President Akufo Addo under whose leadership the said atrocities were committed by Colonel Opoku and his bandits, rejected the findings of the Commission in his infamous White Paper. To add insult to injury, he has now been promoted to the high rank of Brigadier-General and rewarded with the position of General Officer Commanding of the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces. This is what has further emboldened him to champion yet another election rigging scheme.”