NPP accuses NDC of tribal politics

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the main opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), of engaging in tribal politics, describing it as dangerous.

According to the NPP, their number one opponent is desperately trying to undermine the simple, civil and peaceful exercise of voter registration into one of “ethnocentrism through outright fabrications, needless exaggerations, and old-fashioned fear-mongering and propaganda tactics.”

The National Chairman of the NPP, Frederick Worsemawo Armah Blay, addressed a media conference in Accra yesterday to expose the agenda of the NDC.

Acknowledging that the voter registration exercise had not been all smooth, the NPP believed the NDC’s ethnocentric agenda was dangerous and not healthy for the peace of the nation.

A video circulating on social media projects the chief scribe of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, claiming he had witnessed military intimidation in the Banda Constituency.

Other claims by the NDC on the same topic preceded the NPP’s presser.

But, the NPP’s National Chairman recounted the various measures the NDC had taken to prevent the Electoral Commission from compiling a new register, and called on people not to allow themselves to be used for the NDC’s tribal agenda.

“In videos circulating on social media, NDC General Secretary Asiedu Nketia could be openly heard whipping up ethnic sentiments against the military, and inciting the residents with misleading claims that the soldiers were there to act against their tribe. Other media reports capture him as leading scores of people to insult and denigrate the military officers with unprintable words. This is irresponsible, dangerous, and consistent with the NDC playbook: when you have no credible message, whip up identity sentiments to galvanise your base. This is a shameful strategy.

“When their claims of being in a comfortable lead fell flat, they raised the spectre of Coronavirus and swore that the registration exercise would fail,” said Mr Blay.

He continued: “Now, the NDC, having failed at every turn, have decided to introduce and pursue an agenda of what they claim to be ethnic disenfranchisement as their last card.  We are calling on the people of the Volta Region, and, indeed, on all Ghanaians, to stand up against being used as political pawns in this dangerous political game by a desperate John Mahama.  Mahama showed very little concern for the people of the Volta Region when he had the opportunity as president to impact on the lives of the people. John Mahama cannot be trusted, and we say so by his own record, and not just his dangerous words.”

The NPP says it had observed with shock and dismay the NDC’s sudden changed course to spread falsehood that the Akufo-Addo government was pushing an anti-Ewe agenda to disenfranchise people from the Volta Region, just after the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama, visited the region.

The party claimed there had been instances of tense party political intrigues throughout the Fourth Republic, but nothing quite like what Mr Mahama was trying to unleash.

The NPP blames Mr Mahama’s actions on his record as President, which, they say is desperately poor, and that he has no message for the 2020 presidential poll.

In his latest hate-for-votes campaign, John Mahama accused the military falsely of disallowing “our brothers and sisters in the Volta Region, and wherever there are settlements of Voltarians and non-Akans,” to register to vote.  This is a big and dangerous lie,” Mr Blay said of former President Mahama and the NDC.

The NPP quizzed if Mr Mahama knew how many families in the Volta Region were benefiting from the Free Senior High School (SHS) and other social policies that have been impacting on families and communities in every corner of this country since 2017, no matter their ethnic origin or station in life.

“In December, Akufo-Addo wants you to look at his record, compare it to that of others. Ask yourself, which President delivered on his promises?

“Which President do I trust more to recover the economy and care for my livelihood and have enough left to pay my water and electricity bills and support thousands of small and medium enterprises in the midst of this terrible Coronavirus pandemic? Some of the enterprises received their loans via mobile money?

“They needed just a little help to see them through and keep their enterprises afloat and people employed. Who do you trust? Ponder upon these questions, and then go out and vote in December according to your conscience, and what you believe is best for you and the future of your children.

“For us, in the NPP, questions of ethnicity have no place in our democracy. It has no place in the Ghana that President Akufo-Addo wants to bequeath to our young people,” the NPP asserted.

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