Ghanaian National Democratic Congress, NDC, on Thursday said, masked security officers shot and injured seven members of main opposition party during a bye-election.

The masked officers shot AK-47 assault rifles at the crowd at a polling station in the capital, Accra, said NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo.

The NDC, however said it has withdrawn from the polls.

“There is serious intimidation … This bye-election has been turned into a war zone,” Ofosu-Ampofo told journalists during a news conference.

The ruling New Patriotic Party was expected to win a large majority of votes in the bye-election in Accra’s Ayawaso West Wuogon district.

NDC was founded by Jerry Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001.

The opposition party was formed then as the ruling party ahead of 1992 elections, in which Rawlings was elected president, and in 1996 Rawlings was re-elected as the NDC candidate.

Rawlings’ second term ended in 2001. 2000 election happened not to favour NDC as they lost the presidency, and it was not until the 2008 election that they regained it with candidate John Atta Mills.

Also, on December 9, 2012, the Electoral Commission of Ghana declared NDC candidate, John Dramani Mahama, as president-elect after a hotly contested race in which he won 50.7 per cent of votes cast.