Police drop charges against independent parliamentary candidate

Awal Mohammed, an independent candidate for the Madina Constituency who reportedly appeared alongside John Mahama on campaign posters, has been discharged by the Adentan Circuit Court.The discharge followed the Police's withdrawal of the case.Mohammed had been arrested and brought to court after Abdual Razak Hussein, the Madina Constituency Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), raised the issue.He faced charges of offensive conduct related to breaches of the peace and pleaded not guilty before Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam, the presiding judge.Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, the prosecutor, informed the court that the complainant, Abdul Razak Hussein, serves as the Madina Constituency Secretary for the NDC. He noted that Mohammed was running as an independent candidate, and both men reside in Madina.The court learned that Mohammed, a former member of the NDC, opted to fill out and submit a nomination form as an independent candidate when the Electoral Commission began accepting applications for parliamentary candidates.The prosecution stated that Hussein had received numerous complaints from party members regarding Mohammed's actions.They alleged that Mohammed had been putting up posters featuring himself alongside the NDC's presidential candidate, John Mahama, at various prominent locations throughout the constituency.The prosecution noted that party members, especially the youth, raised concerns upon seeing images of both the presidential candidate and Mohammed placed on walls and other vantage points, fearing it might disturb the peace in the area.The court learned that after the complaint was filed, the police invited Mohammed to provide a caution statement.Mohammed denied putting up the posters but admitted to using the name of the NDC flag bearer during his public campaigns.Source: Ghana News Agency