Accra — A PRESSURE Group, the Concerned Citizens Association of Ghana, has blasted the National Security Coordinator, Lt. Col. Gbevlo Lartey, over comments that the controversial secret tape of the National Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Yaw Boateng Gyan, was not worthy of investigation.

Col. Gbevlo Lartey shocked many Ghanaians on Monday when he told an Accra-based radio station that he has had the opportunity to listen carefully to the controversial tape and believes it is not worth the time for his outfit to investigate it.

The National Security Coordinator had indicated few weeks ago, when the secret tape, which captured the NDC National Organizer in a secret meeting with some party members, became public that his outfit would investigate and possibly bring the NDC Organizer and his cohorts to justice if they were found culpable.

Civil Society groups, the clergy and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) expressed bewilderment at the content of the tape, which sought to detail out how the ruling party intended to infiltrate the rank and file of the National Security by recruiting certain party loyalties within the security apparatus to perform some specific assignment for the party.

To this end, there were calls for the national security to launch investigations into the matter and bring the perpetrators of the intended plot to book in order to settle the minds of Ghanaians ahead of the election.

However, the Security Coordinator told Joy FM in Accra on Monday that the tape contained no relevant details that required further investigations, stressing that his outfit will not be blackmailed into using state resources to pursue any unnecessary rumours.

His pronouncement has, however, been met with strong disapproval from concerned political fanatics in the country, with many condemning the coordinator for belittling such an important issue that has the tendency to impugn on the integrity of the state security apparatus.

But the leader of the Concerned Citizen Association of Ghana, a group which officially petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Services to investigate the matter, says they are unfazed by Col. Gbevlo Lartey's pronouncement.

Martin Adjei Mensah told a local station in Kumasi that they still have faith in the Police and believe they would apply high sense of professionalism in handling the matter.

"This is the time for the police to redeem its image, the integrity of the police has for some time now come under serious threat, so I believe it is time for them to show Ghanaians that they are on top of their job," he noted.

Adjei Mensah said he was not surprised at the comments by the National Security Coordinator, stressing "we knew from the scratch what Gbevlo Lartey was going to say and so we were not surprised when he said there was nothing concrete about the tape".

Meanwhile, Daniel Nonor also reports that the Chairman of the Advocate for Peace International, Mr. Samuel Ampomah has called on President John Dramani Mahama to relieve National Security Coordinator , Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey (RTD) of his position with immediate effect.

According to Mr. Amomah, Col. Gbevlo Lartey compromised his neutrality as National Security Coordinator over his comments on the leaked tape, in which the National Organiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Yaw Boateng Gyan, planned to infiltrate the national security outfit with members of his party.

Col. Gbevlo Lartey has come under heavy criticism over his claim that he did not find anything incriminating on the now infamous Yaw Boateng Gyan tape saga.

The secret recording captured the NDC Organizer, discussing plans to draft party faithful into a special force unit and later give them National Security ID cards to undertake covert operations during the elections.

Mr. Yaw Boateng Gyan, in sections of the now widely circulated recording, expressed concern over how some personnel who were recruited in similar fashion previously and given National Security identity but mis-conducted themselves.

The scheme of events as captured by the tape indicate that on the eve of the elections, the National Security will complain about its inability to man the elections which will pave way for the recruited personnel to be released into the system as National Security operatives.

Other plans also included surveillance on some personnel and the activities of the newly formed National Democratic Party -a splinter group of the disgruntled National Democratic Congress Members.

Mr. Baoteng Gyan has since admitted that he owned the voice in the recording but insists that he meant no harm by the plan he was hatching with his party.

But legal luminaries and human rights activist say the content of the tape constitute a criminality which should be taken seriously by National Security.

Mr. Amomah, however, in an interview with The Chronicle says he is surprised at the comments of the National Security Coordinator for his lack of interest on such a case. To him, this is the time for President John Mahama to walk the talk and demonstrate his leadership qualities by sending out a strong signal that he would not condone wrong doing.

He further noted that Mr. Yaw Boateng Gyan should have been suspended by the NDC party, if indeed the party was committed to the rule of law and abhors violence.

"I am expecting the President to openly condemn Yaw Boateng Gyan to serve as deterrent to others in the party. But this has unfortunately not been done," he noted.

He thus called on all well-meaning Ghanaians to rise to the occasion of safe guarding the peace and security of the state by condemning wrong doing and acts that threatens national security.