Let's have peace
Kufuor's convoy in accident - three die on the spot
19 injured in NDC, NPP clash at Berekum
42 cops interdicted
Reject project politics - they are not new
Bloody side of NDC's rallies
Elections - who supports who in the second round?
Kofi Coomson caught pants down
BNI swoop in on Chronicle
Let's have peace
Ghanaian children have appealed to the seven presidential aspirants and politicians in the country to ensure that peace prevails during this year's elections, reports the Daily Graphic.
Eight year-old Endersha Amankwah of Christ the King School appealing on behalf of the children, said, "you, our political aspirants, grew up in a peaceful environment and had the chance to get a good education that has made it possible for you to stand before us today. It is your turn to give us opportunity."
"It is true we cannot vote, but our voices count. It is true we cannot be involved in politics, but one day, we shall step in your shoes. Peace is the best legacy you can leave for us", she had stressed in the appeal made at a forum organised in Accra by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Information Centre for children.
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Kufuor's convoy in accident - three die on the spot
In another front-page capture, Graphic reports that the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, last Sunday escaped unhurt when the convoy in which he was travelling from the Central Region to Accra was involved in an accident.
The accident, which occurred at Gomoa Buduburam in the Central Region in the evening, however, claimed the lives of three persons with an unspecified number of others sustaining varying degrees of injury.
A source close to the NPP headquarters confirming the incident to Graphic said a cameraman, Anthony Freeman, with the campaign team received deep cuts and was treated and discharged at the Winneba Government Hospital while three bodyguards admitted to the hospital were responding to treatment.
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19 injured in NDC, NPP clash at Berekum
The Ghanaian Times reports that a clash between the NDC and NPP supporters at the weekend left 19 people injured with only one of them belonging to the NPP faction, which allegedly attacked the NDC supporters who were in a convoy.
Two NPP supporters have been arrested by the police for questioning.
The rear windscreens of two vehicles, an NDC pick-up and a hired Isuzu mini bus, occupied by NDC supporters, were smashed in the riot which was brought under control by warning shots fired by the police. Eyewitness, according to the police, blamed the NPP supporters for starting the clash.
The NPP and the NDC, on the day of the incident, respectively held rallies at Akrofo and Senase in the Berekum area and the NPP faction reportedly waylaid their rivals at Senase junction and hurled stones on them.
In the process, some of the people got injured while vehicles were vandalised.
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42 cops interdicted
Forty-two policemen from the Buffalo Unit and the Striking Force in Kumasi have been interdicted for an alleged unruly behaviour and would face a service enquiry for misconduct.
The Policemen who were despatched to Wa on operational duties last July, were alleged to have misconducted themselves by trooping to the Regional Police Commander, Mr F. Agyemang, to request for food (ration) or they would not work.
They had been sent to the Upper West Regional capital last July to assist their colleagues there maintain order in the wake of surmounting chieftaincy dispute that threatened the peace of the area.
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Reject project politics - they are not new
The Presidential candidate of the People's National Convention (CPP), Dr Edward Mahama has advised the electorate not to be deceived by projects like electrification or roads because there are some which started from the 1960s and 70s and the NDC is making noise about them.
He said what Ghanaians needed immediately, is the reduction in their present level of suffering, adequate salaries, schools for their children, employment, security and health.
Addressing who carried the message in his address at party rallies at Takoradi, Akropong, Manso, Asankragwa, Enchi, Half Assini and Jomoro, he said a PNC-led government would provide the needed facilities within the shortest possible time and urged the electorates to vote for the party whose leaders are dedicated and honest.
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Bloody side of NDC's rallies
The Free Press writes that the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign strategy of transporting its supporters across the country to rally grounds is not only costing the party several billions of cedis but also in terms of precious human lives.
The paper says its investigations showed that most of these rallies usually ended up with serious motor accidents that claimed innocent lives of people returning to their towns and villages.
The paper recalls an accident that resulted in the leg amputation of some party supporters in the aftermath of NDC's 1998 Sunyani congress, while another in April this year after the party held its national delegates congress at Ho caused the death of three faithfuls.
It said last week's rally by the party in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, also recorded two fatal accidents in which four people, including a driver, died on the spot.
It said that in the first instance, a petrol tanker ran into a Toyota mini-bus, which was among the fleet of vehicles engaged by the party to carry the crowd to Koforidua. The second one is said to have occurred near Anyinam on the Accra-Kumasi road but nobody died.
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Elections - who supports who in the second round?
The Weekly Insight says all that the Convention People's Party (CPP) has to do to win the presidential election is to get into the second round with either the NDC or the NPP.
NPP insiders, according to Insight, say openly that the CPP will be the obvious choice in what they consider the unlikely situation in which the party is pitched against the NDC in a second round presidential contest.
"Similarly the NDC will have no difficulty whatsoever in endorsing the CPP if it is pitched against the NPP in the second round"
Both the NDC and the NPP are said to be intensely aware of this possibility and are working hard to avoid a second round clash with the CPP who obviously is enjoying its envious position and has not given any indication of what it will do in the event of a run-off.
The CPP leadership reportedly avoided a meeting with Mr J.A. Kufuor and Mr S.A. Odoi Sykes by sending a less weighty delegation led by Third National Vice-Chairman, Mr Mike Eghan to the meeting which would have discussed an opposition co-operation in the elections.
The two parties, together with the United Ghana Movement, agreed informally to support each other.
A faction is however said to be emerging in the CPP, which is advocating some arrangement with the NDC rather in the second round in view of the traditional animosity between the CPP and the Danquah-Busia group, suggesting that the NDC might treat them with respect.
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Kofi Coomson caught pants down
The Ghana Palaver says Mr Kofi Coomson, Publisher of the Ghanaian Chronicle, is trying to use espionage in his news gathering as the practice catches up fast with the country.
The Security Service are reported to have on November 4 arrested one George Graham an employee of Camelot who, in an alleged conspiracy with Mr Kofi Coomson and one Patrick Opata, illegally copied and sold data and other information from a computer belonging to the NDC. Opata had been entrusted with the computer for servicing.
The paper says Mr Coomson and The Ghanaian Chronicle did not only arranged for the hacking job but also deliberately doctored the information, that was criminally obtained, in a publication which sought to damage the reputations of Hon. Totobi Quakyi (Minister of State Security), Alhaji Huudu Yahaya (General Secretary of the NDC), the NDC party and the Security Service.
Mr Coomson is said to have been picked by the Security service for questioning on Tuesday for his part in the theft and sale of the diskettes. He had allegedly telephoned Alhaji Huudu Yahaya prior to his arrest to beg for forgiveness.
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BNI swoop in on Chronicle
The Ghanaian Chronicle writes that while Vice-President John Evans Atta-Mills tours the country asking Ghanaians to approach the December 7 elections in peace, the controllers of the state security machinery appear to have adopted a siege mentality as the race to the Castle reaches the home-stretch.
The paper reports the arrest of Felix Odartey-Wellington, a lawyer and son of slain former Army Commander, N.A. Odartey-Wellington.
Odartey-Wellington who was granted police enquiry bail in the sum of 50 million cedis on Monday, has been accused of insulting behaviour against the President.
Although no charges were preferred against him, Odartey-Wellington was told at the police headquarters that he was being investigated for insulting behaviour for describing President Rawlings on GTV's Breakfast Show as a con-man and fraudulent in politics.
The Publisher of Chronicle, Nana Kofi Coomson was reportedly detained far into the night at the Greater Accra offices of the BNI and later released on police enquiry bail in connection with allegations that the Chronicle had obtained a number of diskettes detailing NDC game plan for the elections.
15 BNI officers and policemen had earlier invaded the paper's offices with Coomson as captive where they had demanded for diskettes in the hand of Chronicle to be handed over to them.
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