In a significant development, top officers from the National Security Ministry have successfully intervened to prevent the ‘Fixing The Country Movement' from carrying out their planned picketing at former President John Mahama's Labone office.
The group's protest was centered around their demand for increased action by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) concerning the Airbus scandal.
According to reliable sources, the Ministry deemed the planned action as potentially establishing a hazardous precedent for protests at private offices, even if the individuals are seeking public office.
In response, the Ministry engaged in extensive discussions with the movement's leader, Ernest Owusu Bempah, and other members, urging them to abandon the planned demonstration.
A source from the National Security Ministry explained, “Following extensive engagements between the Ministry and the leadership of the ‘Fixing the Country Movement,' ahead of their planned demonstration on Thursday, November 23, 2023, it has been agreed that the said demonstration be called off. This is over threats it poses to the security of the State.”
As a result, the general public has been directed to refrain from convening for the purposes of staging any such demonstration. Law enforcement officials will be deployed to designated routes on the scheduled day to ensure strict adherence to the directive.
The ‘Fixing the Country Movement' had previously notified the police of their intention to exercise their constitutional rights under Article 21(1)(d) and (f) of the 1992 Constitution to picket at the office of the former President on October 16, 2023.
The group subsequently rescheduled the event to Thursday, November 16, and again to Thursday, November 23.
The convener of the movement stated that the planned protest aimed to express their dissatisfaction with the perceived lax attitude of authorities investigating the Airbus corruption saga.
They insisted that former President Mahama has a responsibility to address the questions surrounding the scandal and emphasized their belief in public accountability, asserting that no one is above scrutiny.
