The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as untenable, explanations that recent military deployment to Ghana’s eastern borders was to protect the citizenry against COVID-19.

The Party said neighbouring Togo did not pose much COVID-19 threat to Ghana because the case count there was far below what Ghana had recorded.

The NDC in its fifth weekly press briefing held at Aflao and addressed by Mr Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South, said if anything at all, Togo’s Government ought to be the one protecting its citizens from illegal travelers from Ghana.

“Total COVID-19 case count in Togo stands at about 615. This is less than Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, less than Central Region and just about 75 cases more than the case count in Eastern Region. If there is any fear of COVID-19, it should rather be the people of Togo who should be afraid of Ghanaians crossing the border to spread COVID-19 in Togo and not the other way round.”

Mr Kwetey alleged, “one of the first persons who came into the country with the virus was in the President's entourage in Oslo”, so it was unacceptable to deploy the military to Aflao.

“Just a few days ago, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries across different constituencies became virtual COVID-19 dissemination zones. If the NPP government is looking for the real threat of COVID-19, they do not have to look far...,” he said.

The Party alleged the, “massive deployment of the military ... has been timed to coincide with the commencement of the Voter Registration exercise across the country, to create panic and anxiety among residents and deter them from coming out of their homes to register,” and called for immediate withdrawal of the military.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu said it was bad for Ghana’s reputation as the shining example of a democratic country on the continent to be surrounding her borders with military men, “when there’s no war with her neighbours”.