Suspended former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs says the beginning of his hatred in his party started when he refused to criticize President Akufo-Addo’s free Senior High School policy.
According to him, he hit hard at the Akufo-Addo government when the free Senior High School policy was implemented as it has always been the position of the NDC, but upon reflection of the benefit that many children have received from the policy he had a different thought.
Free SHS ‘fight’
Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ Morning Show, the ‘Educated Fisherman’ as he is popularly called explained that his decision to discourage his party from criticizing the free SHS policy is based on the fact that the larger population of children who have benefitted from the Free SHS policy will reach their voting age by 2020 and that can spell doom for the NDC should they come to the realisation that the party criticised the policy they benefitted from.
He added that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) mistook his good counsel to be praise-singing of the Akufo-Addo government.
“When Akufo-Addo’s government implemented the free SHS policy, I was one of the first critiques against the free SHS, but you know something . . . if you start attending radio programmes, the way you talk and carry yourself, it makes you endear yourself to a lot of people who belong to both NDC and NPP, so the moment you criticise something of the government, you get people calling you to tell you how they have benefitted from what you are criticizing,” he said.
He stressed that criticizing a new government that is doing something good like the implementation of the Free SHS policy was not going to help the cause of the NDC during the campaign time, hence, his decision to stop criticizing the Free SHS Policy.
“If there is a new government in place and it is doing something that is good, it benefits some people, so you don’t need to go, drag in and criticise it so seriously. If you do that, at the end of the day when the campaign starts, then the people will look at you with different eyes,” he stressed.
Coronavirus fight measures
Touching on another issue that increased his hatred in the NDC, Allotey Jacobs averred that his party [NDC] felt his advice for the NDC to allow the Akufo-Addo government to carry its excellent measures in the fight against the COVID-19 was also wrong.
“If you look at the COVID-19, what the government is doing is excellent. Let them manage the COVID-19 to the end of the crisis then we can come to do our usual political campaign . . . and again my people are saying that I have criticised the party,” he explained.
Allotey Jacobs was of the view that his suspension from the NDC is borne out of these issues, adding that he meant well for the NDC as the party prepares for the 2020 general election.
NDC Suspends Allotey Jacobs
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has yielded to the pressure of party activists to suspend one of its top members, Bernard Allotey Jacobs.
Mr Allotey Jacobs was the party’s immediate past Central regional chairman.
A statement purportedly signed by the NDC’s national chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, on May 6, 2020, said Mr Allotey Jacobs was suspended pursuant to Article 46 (1) and 46 (6) and 46 (8) (b) of the Party’s constitution.
The statement says his suspension was based on what it termed “persistent anti-party conduct,” indicating that the decision to suspend him was taken at a National Executive Meeting held on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.
New Voter roll: Nunoo Mensah chides NDC for being overly ‘troublesome’
Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces has chastised the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for being ‘troublesome’.
“The people have already intended to be troublesome and it’s bad; it’s sad,” he said in reaction to the hullabaloo surrounding a new voters’ register.
The former National Security Advisor to the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills was speaking in a one-on-one interview on Me Man Nti programme on Neat FM said there is no way President Akufo-Addo will do anything to jeopardize this country and that since he is the President, he should be allowed to make decisions in the interest of the country.
“Akufo-Addo is not going to do anything which will harm Ghana . . . So why should the NDC fight him over a new voters’ register? I don’t think Akufo-Addo will intentionally do anything that will harm the country. Is he not a Ghanaian?”
According to him, “compiling a new voters’ register should not be a source of tension”.
“Why should I raise hell over a new voters’ register? We need to stop it. If you are a bad person, you suspect every other person is also bad . . . we should think Ghana first,” he added.
Meanwhile, the largest opposition NDC has accused two bodies: National Identification Authority (NIA) and the Electoral Commission (EC) of conniving to disenfranchise Ghanaian youths all in a bid to rig the elections in favour of the ruling NPP government.
EC’s Denial
The Electoral Commission (EC) has denied claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Commission is plotting to rig the 2020 elections in favour of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In a press statement signed by its acting Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Sylvia Annor, the EC described the allegations as a calculated attempt by the NDC to tarnish the image of the Commission.
“It is impossible for the Commission to conspire with any political party or institution as is being speculated by Mr Ofosu-Ampofo and the NDC since the electoral process remains transparent at all levels,” the EC said.
NIA not conspiring with EC
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has reacted to the allegation by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it was conspiring with the Electoral Commission (EC) to rig the 2020 general elections in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The NIA in a press statement on Friday challenged the NDC to provide evidence to support the allegation.
“NIA is not part of the election management architecture in Ghana. There is no conspiracy between NIA and EC to rig the 2020 elections. Election rigging is a serious criminal matter with dire political, economic and social consequences for any nation.
“Any person, party or institution alleging such a criminal conspiracy has a duty to report same to the police and provide the requisite evidence to support investigations and/or prosecution,” the NIA said.
Source: Peace Fm
