NDC Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Gbande has rejected claims that he ordered the arrest of Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, saying the legislator should have cooperated with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM, Mr Gbande said he had not called for the MP’s arrest but believed he should have honoured EOCO’s invitation.
“I did not say that I ordered the arrest of the Manhyia South MP. I only asked the EOCO boss to ensure he was arrested by any means, but it was not on an order,” Gbande said.
He criticised the MP’s decision to challenge EOCO to arrest him, saying such an approach was inappropriate for a citizen dealing with a law enforcement agency.
“How did we get to a point where a citizen can tell an enforcement agency, ‘I dare you to come and arrest me’?” he asked.
Mr Gbande said the circumstances surrounding EOCO’s initial attempt to arrest Baffour Awuah did not change his view that the MP should have appeared before the agency.
“However wrong the mode of arrest was, the lawyer owed it to himself the duty to apply superior emotional intelligence. As an MP, if you are invited, go there,” he said.
He described the confrontation between the MP and an EOCO official as unfortunate but said Baffour Awuah should have subsequently gone to the agency to address the matter.
“The spectacle with the EOCO official was unfortunate, but after that I expected him to go to EOCO. Why would you wait until an order is procured for your arrest?” he asked.
