The Founder of the Shining Grace Chapel International, Prophet Azuka, has said that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former President John Dramani Mahama don’t sit up, they could easily lose the 2024 elections.
He explained that although he once saw that John Mahama and the NDC would win the 2024 election, it didn’t take long for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reclaim power.
“Recently, I was lying down when I saw that, as I mentioned earlier in 2018, I said that Mahama should wait until 2024 because he will win; he was holding a white angel. However, about a month after, I saw that the NPP had reclaimed it,” he said.
Pushed further by Paula Amma Broni during an interview on GhanaWeb TV’s Talkertainment, the controversial Prophet Azuka stated that the ruling party, the NPP, will win the 2024 elections.
He, however, stressed that if the NDC sits back and does nothing, hoping that the economic hardship will be enough to endear them to voters, the NPP could win back the hearts of Ghanaians.
“I see that the NPP has won the election again, but the reason I am explaining it is because when I consider the current economic hardships we are in, I got surprised that it is the NPP that will win the elections again. That was when I understood the things of the spirit better.
“So, if the NDC sits back and claims that because times are hard, things will automatically work for them, they should know that things can get better in the two years left,” he said.
The Essikado-Ketan Parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 polls, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has pulled out of her case against the New Patriotic Party’s Joe Ghartey, MP for the same constituency, who, she insists, was fraudulently declared the winner by the Electoral Commission.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah’s decision, according to her, is because of disappointment and frustration, especially as the case, which has dragged on for close to two years, with no end in sight, continues to drain her time and commitment towards rejuvenating the party at the constituency level.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah, who is an American-trained Burn Reconstructive Surgeon, has also debunked syndicated media reports suggesting she was fined for chickening out of the case.
According to her, Counsel for the plaintiffs demanded GHC500,000 but the Judge, Justice Richmond Osei Hwere, declined the request and instead handed them (the 1st and 2nd respondents, i.e. the Electoral Commission and Joe Ghartey) the initial GHC20,000 deposited to settle administrative fees.
The 2020 Essikado-Ketan NDC candidate in her petition to the Sekondi High Court, cited several infractions during the coalition of votes which changed the figures in favour of the incumbent MP, Joe Ghartey.
She avers that illegality resulted in the EC declaring results based on the second respondent, Joe Ghartey’s own pink sheets, which gave him — 26,701 valid votes compared to the NDC candidate — 24,527, while Ghana Union Movement’s (GUM), Frank Cobbinah Parliamentary candidate polled just 629.
The petitioner however insisted that her “own collated results from the figures declared after counting at polling stations were that the first respondent obtained 26,299 valid votes while the petitioner had 26,336 valid votes, making the petitioner the obvious winner, but the second respondent declared otherwise.”
But Dr Grace Ayensu, in her termination plea before Court raised a number of concerns.
That to date she and her lawyer, Daniel Ametepe, have complied fully with all orders of the High Court and have pursued the matter with the utmost zeal and diligence but the 1st Respondent has not yet complied with pre-trail orders of the Court by the failure to file his witness statement and pre-trial checklist.
That 20 months after she first filed the action, a lot of water has gone under the bridge and upon serious reflection and consultation, “I have decided to let go and rather help my party focus on the future reorganisation as Election 2024 is not too far away,” she explained.
She has since described twists on the development and the Court’s decision to fine her as mischievous and lacks appreciation of how the case travelled and her reason to move on.
“It is left with just about two years to the next elections but because of this case, not much in terms of development is happening in Essikado-Ketan, but just confusion,” her lawyer, Mr Daniel Ametepe, explained to journalists, after the hearing.
“We filed a witness statement for three witnesses to come before the court to narrate what happened on the 7th and 8th of December 2020 because we had a case,” he continued: “Joe Ghartey’s lawyer filed a motion for the case to be dismissed but he lost that case and still went ahead to file an appeal to that ruling.”
“Even the appeal that Joe Ghartey made his lawyer file, he is not pursuing it,” Mr Ametepe noted, indicating: “This is all to create uncertainty in the High Court.”
“So, the processes that we have taken to terminate the case [are] part of the rules of the court. That is why the judge granted our case of discontinuation,” he concluded.
In a statement addressed to members of the NDC, which was sighted by GhanaWeb, the NDC chairman indicated that he is suspending his campaign to be with his family as they mourn his mother, the late Madam Mary Gyawubea Badu.
“Dear Comrades, it is with a heavy heart that I write to announce the passing of the matriarch and rock of my family, my dear mother, Madam Mary Gyawubea Badu. In one of the darkest moments in my life and that of my family, I am not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. In view of this, I am temporarily suspending all campaign activities as together with the rest of the family, we reflect and mourn the passing of the woman who shaped our very beings,” parts of the statement read.
“On behalf of my family and I, I thank all those who have reached out to us with encouragement and those who have spared thoughts and prayers in these very difficult times,” the NDC national chairman added.
Ofosu-Ampofo, in a Facebook post on Monday, October 31, 2022, announced that his mother passed on in the early hours of the day at the Koforidua Regional
Hospital.
He indicated that Auntie Mary was 84 years old.
“It is with extreme sadness that I announce the death of my beloved mother Mary Gyawubea Badu (Popularly known as Auntie Mary) in the early morning of today Monday the 31st of October 2022 at Koforidua Regional Hospital.
“She was 84 Years. May Her Soul Find Eternal Rest,” parts of Ofosu-Ampofo’s post read.
Meanwhile, the NDC national executive elections are slated for December 17, 2022.
Ofosu-Ampofo is expected to face stiff competition from the outgoing General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, for the chairmanship position.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has petitioned Parliament to halt the laying of a proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) which seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for compiling the new voters’ register.
Until the backlog of Ghana Cards has been cleared, the NDC wants the C.I. to be frozen in order not to deny “millions of citizens” the right to register and vote in the 2024 general elections.
More so, other evidence of citizenship such as the use of a Ghanaian passport and the guarantor system must be added to the Ghana Card for the registration exercise.
“Any further action on the proposed C.I. by or in Parliament should be frozen until consultations have been initiated and concluded with the major stakeholders, especially the political parties, including the NDC and civil society,” part of the petition cited by MyJoyOnline.com stated.
The petition will be presented by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, when the House sits for business on Tuesday, November 1.
EC justifies use of Ghana Card
The Electoral Commission earlier in September defended its decision to use only the Ghana Card for the voter registration exercise, saying it is still the valid and surest way to rid the register of minors and foreigners.
According to the EC’s Director of Electoral Services, it is possible for eligible voters to get their Ghana Cards before the end of their registration on October 7, 2024.
Dr Serebour Quaicoe was confident that barring any unforeseen circumstances, every qualified voter can get their identity cards to be fully registered for the 2024 general elections within the next two years.
He believes no one would be disenfranchised because all Ghanaians have enough time to access the Ghana Card.
But the NDC believes this would rather be a tool to infringe on the rights of citizens.
“Since the proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters0 Instrument (C.I.), as a subsidiary legislation, cannot override the substantive provision in the Constitution on the citizens’ right to register and to vote, and insistence on the Ghana Card as the only evidence of citizenship will deny millions of citizens the right to register and vote, other forms of evidence of citizenship such as the Ghana passport and the guarantor system must be added to the Ghana Card as evidence of citizenship in the proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I.),” the petition added.
Explaining why he is a stronger contender in the race, although he is the youngest person vying for the soon-to-be-vacant position of the party, he said age is the least of things that should be used to determine his capabilities.
Speaking to GhanaWeb TV’s Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese on the Election Desk, Dr. Peter Otokunor stated that if it had to do simply with age, Methuselah would have been preferred over King Solomon in the Bible when it comes to the display of wisdom.
“Let me emphasize that the wisdom of Solomon has nothing to do with the age of Methuselah. You don’t need to be old before you become efficient. Is Ghana huger than France? The Facebook that you’re on, the internet that you’re on, the website that you are on, they were all generated by young people,” he said.
Dr. Peter Otokunor further stated that it is his firm belief that young people should be allowed to showcase what they are made of.
“I think that young people should be allowed to grow because look at President Akufo-Addo, he is almost 78 or something. You have seen the bizarre performance, the disgraceful performance he and Bawumia have offered to this country. So, age is just a number; it does not signify competence,” he added.
He also spoke about some issues that bother on internal NDC politics, as well as on a few national subjects.
Some group of persons reportedly stormed the National Headquarters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Adabraka on October 31, 2022.
The group is said to have entered the third floor of the deputy general secretary, Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, and removed her prepaid meter.
These individuals are also said to have threatened to deal with the Deputy General Secretary for ‘allegedly installing a prepaid meter in her office.
In a press statement from the NDC signed by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the leadership of the party condemned such actions adding that the party will take immediate steps to involve law enforcement agencies.
“In the early hours of yesterday, Monday 31st October 2022, a group of persons managed to gain entry into the national headquarters of the National Democratic Congress at Adabraka in Accra.
“Upon entering, the said group, clad in red and fuming with rage, entered the 3rd-floor office of the Deputy General Secretary, Hon. Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, and removed a prepaid meter. Soon thereafter, the spokesman of the group addressed the crowd that accompanied him and threatened to deal with the Deputy General Secretary for allegedly installing a prepaid meter in her office,” the statement added.
Below is the statement
In the early hours of yesterday, Monday 31st October, 2022, a group of persons managed to gain entry into the national headquarters of the National Democratic Congress at Adabraka in Accra.
Upon entering, the said group, clad in red and fuming with rage, entered the 3rd floor office of the Deputy General Secretary, Hon. Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, and removed a prepaid meter. Soon thereafter, the spokesman of the group, addressed the crowd that accompanied him and threatened to deal with the Deputy General Secretary for allegedly installing a prepaid meter in her office.
The Leadership of the NDC wish to condemn in no uncertain terms this blatant act of thuggery and criminality and will take immediate steps to involve the law enforcement agencies to deal with the miscreants and their sponsors.
The party will take additional steps to identify all who entered the premises to carry out this dastardly act and to subject them to the disciplinary measures provided by the party’s constitution.
No member of the party has any right whatsoever to attack any leader of the party at any level for whatever reason. Any attack on a national officer is an attack on the entire leadership of the party. And any of those elements who are party members will be dealt with without fear or favour in accordance with the laws of the party. LONG LIVE THE NDC! ISSUED IN ACCRA THIS TUESDAY 1st NOVEMBER
A New Patriotic Party (NPP) Deputy National Communications Director, Kamal-Deen Abdullai, has berated Members of Parliament (MP) of the minority caucus for blocking the impeachment of their colleague MP for Dome-Kwabenya Sarah Adwoa Safo.
Kamal-Deen said that the MPs by their actions were doing a lot of disservice to Ghanaians because they are protecting an MP who is being paid for no work.
He added that the excuse by National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs that Adwoa Safo should be given a chance to explain her absence does not hold water.
He explained that the MP had refused to appear before the Privileges Committee of the House to give reasons for her absence.
“Ghana seeks to develop, the constituents of Adwoa Safo are supposed to be served better. Are we happy with what you are seeing? Let us put the law aside and ask ourselves objectively, the people are supposed to have representation in Parliament, through no fault of theirs, their Member of Parliament is somewhere and running on social media … singing and dancing.
“… we sit here and say use the law. We are going to use the law alright but I am asking, are we not short-changing the people of Dome-Kwabenya? Aren’t we?” he said in a Good Morning Ghana interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
The NPP communicator further stated that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, ruling that Adwoa Safo fate is to be decided by the plenary after Privileges Committee indicated that she should be removed was wrong.
He added that the NPP will be exploring all the legal options available to get the NPP removed.
Alban Bagbin, on October 26, 2022, gave a ruling that the report of the committee set up to look into the case of the MP and two others who absented themselves for a number of sittings should be presented before the whole house to be debated.
He, therefore, dismissed the objection of the Majority Leader to the admissibility of the committee report for the consideration of the house.
“As I have noted in this ruling, the decision (sic) on not to admit a motion is the exclusive preserve of the Speaker. In view of the foregoing, the House is well within its right to receive and consider reports of the committee and make a determination arising out of the consideration.
“In the circumstances, it is my ruling that the motion was rightfully admitted and the report of the committee is subject to the consideration of the house. It goes without saying that the (sic) objection of the Majority Leader today (sic) is hereby dismissed…” he concluded his verdict.
Chief Nixon Biney, the Deputy National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) continues to hold the position that an officer of the Ghana Police Service allegedly infiltrated the demonstration he staged with some Ghanaians against, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Friday, October 28, 2022.
It will be recalled that during the protest, Chief Biney who was the brain behind the demonstration, raised alarm over what he suspected to be a police officer who was planted among the demonstrators to mar the peaceful march.
The allegations of Chief Biney were vehemently rejected by the Deputy Chief of Staff Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman who scolded Chief Biney over the allegations.
“These officers have been here trying to protect life and property and also to ensure that this thing moves on as smoothly as possible. So, to accuse them of something they may not even be aware of is a bit unfair,” he said.
But in a post on his social media handle, the NDC Organizer hopeful vowed to expose the said police officer with evidence that validates his claim.
Chief Biney claimed that the police after their failed attempt to stop the demonstration resorted to other tactics to ‘frame’ him by infiltrating the protest one of their own.
“It was in the spirit of ensuring that the voices of the suffering masses are heard by Dr. Bawumi, our self-acclaimed economic messiah and our vice president that I took the bold decision to peacefully picket at his office, which is also my right as a citizen of our beloved Ghana.
“I, as a responsible citizen, took the path of law and order by informing the police as stipulated by the constitution and laws of Ghana of the intention to embark on the protest.
“After several meetings which ended with mutual agreement on the manner in which the protest will be conducted, the Police acting in bad faith applied to the court to seek an injunction to restrain me from holding the protest. Strangely enough, the police fix which was filed on Wednesday 26th Oct, to be heard on 27th Oct, just a day before the scheduled protest. Fortunately, wisdom prevailed and the court rejected the application for injunction however, made orders to vary the venue of the protest and other related issues.
“I complied with the orders of the court and ensured that there were 19 other protesters who accompanied me to march to the DVLA office on the Switchback Road where the representative of the vice met me to receive the petition however, the Ghana Police decided to frame me up by using an outmoded police intelligence gathering style by infiltrating my peaceful action with a fool of a police officer. When they were exposed, they denied it by lying that this fool of a police officer was not from the Ghana Police Service but there are a lot to share soon,” he stated on social media.
On Friday, Chief Biney led hundreds of Ghanaians to walk from Kawukudi Park to the DVLA head office in Accra to register their anger over what they believe to be poor handling of the economy by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
The demonstrators held the view that the Dr Bawumia who was head of the Economic Management Team has failed at his job.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said he has always had the notion that President Akufo-Addo is empty ever since he, Asiedu Nketia, was a member of parliament.
According to him, due to Akufo-Addo’s arrogance, he failed to learn from former President John Dramani Mahama’s address which had solutions and proposals.
In a Facebook post, he indicated that President Akufo-Addo’s address on Ghana’s economy on October 30 was “nothing beyond the smoke”.
“I have always insisted that President Akufo-Addo is empty. I formed this opinion many years ago as an NDC Parliamentarian. He was representing the NPP in Parliament. Listen critically to him, and you will know he is full of smoke. Nothing beyond the smoke.
“President Mahama set the right tone in his brilliant address with solutions and proposals at the UPSA for Akufo-Addo to learn from. But arrogance and lack of capacity deprived him of the opportunity to drink from his predecessor’s fountain of wisdom,” he said.
He urged Ghanaians to join the NDC to vote against the NPP in 2024.
“But there’s hope! We have elections 2024 to win to rescue Ghana from this incompetent and clueless NPP government that is determined to use foul means, including violence, to steal the outcome of the elections,” he stated on Facebook.
Solomon Nkansah, a former national communications officer for the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has reaffirmed that if Ghana doesn’t devote determined resources to making the Tema Oil Refinery efficient, its economy will remain excessively vulnerable to market volatility.
He said, “We need to figure out how to internalize our competitive advantage so that we don’t go out and pay money to a refinery in Europe while your facility has been almost completely idle and abandoned.”
According to Solomon Nkansah, if Tema Oil Refinery is run effectively, the nation will be able to keep the foreign cash that would typically be used to buy petroleum goods out of the economy.
“You cannot continue to be an oil-producing country and kick out your refinery. If we knock out the refinery, what it simply means is that you are going to depend on Europe for your economy to run because virtually what your vehicles and engines would consume would have to be imported and that explains why the Ghanaian cedi has never been able to perform well because if are always importing petroleum products , you can imagine how much it takes away from your economy,” Solomon Nkansah told Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9.
Hopeson Adorye, the unsuccessful New Patriotic Party candidate for Kpone Katamanso, accused Martin Kpebu, a private attorney, of being demonic in his recent public lobbying against the government.
Hopeson Adorye claims that the lawyer is disguising a political purpose behind a neutral persona in order to forward his agenda to run as the opposition National Democratic Congress‘ parliamentary candidate for the Kpandai Constituency.
“Are you aware that he is running in the Kpandai Constituency?
Yes, Kpandai’s NDC parliamentary candidate.
Do you know that he has met Mahama and that everything has been resolved?
While appearing as a guest on Oman FM’s Boiling Point show, Hopeson Adorye made some allegations.
He however added that the New Patriotic Party will be ready to thwart the diabolic political agenda of Martin Kpebu.
“The thing is if you want to speak be bold and come out as an NDC member, don’t pretend to be a neutral person,” he added.
Lawyer Martin Kpebu has become a staunch critic of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government amidst the current economic hardship in the country.
Mr Kpebu has commenced a campaign calling for the president’s resignation and as part of his advocacy, the legal practitioner is organising a demonstration against the president.
The demonstration dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 5, 2022, in Accra.
In a recent interview on Neat FM, Martin Kbepu justified his call for the president’s resignation saying “what Ghanaians can do to get the president removed is to organize demonstrations. The police have given me permission for the ‘Kumi preko reloaded’ demo next Saturday, November 5. It starts from the Obra Spot at 7:00 am; every Ghanaian should make it a point to be there.
“If the president does not resign by then, we demonstrate and present him a petition that we have had enough of him, and he should step down,” he added.
The address by the president will be his first major speech on the current state of the Ghanaian economy which has over the past weeks seen a significant rise in inflation among others.
Hopeson Adorye makes vile allegations against Martin Kpebu, cites alleged plot to be NDC MP
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader, said on the floor of Parliament that there was discrepancy in the numbers provided by the EC as registered voters up to 17 million and what the NIA has on its role.
“And we hear that the Commission wants to rely on the National Identification Authority,…the cardinal question is, so, what has happened to the Electoral Commission’s own biometric data that today they are avoiding the use of their own biodata they’ve collected and they want to collect biodata from the National Identification Authority?” Mr Iddrisu quizzed.
“But we need a reconciliation of the numbers, because we are very convinced that Article 42 (of the Constitution) confers the right on Ghanaians to be registered as voters by the Electoral Commission”.
Article 42 says every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda.
The National Identification Authority was unlike the Electoral Commission, who by virtue of Article 46, “…shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority,” Mr Iddrisu said.
He reiterated that the NIA was subject to ministerial control “and, therefore, we want the two bodies to come here – Electoral Commission and National Identification Authority – let’s see the discrepancy and variance in your numbers.”
“Because we will not, Mr Speaker, accept any attempt by the EC to disenfranchise any Ghanaian, because they want to rely on an ID card, which is not available to Ghanaians. We mean serious business on this matter.”
Mr Iddrisu said the Minority Caucus would safeguard the provisions of Article 42 of the Constitution and asked why in 2021 and 2022 Ghanaians who had attained 18 years had not been given the opportunity to be on the voter’s register.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, first raised the matter on the floor of the House when commenting on the Business Statement for the week ending Friday, November 4.
He indicated that at the Business Committee meeting to consider the Business Statement it was agreed that the reports of the EC and NIA were supposed to have been scheduled for next week Thursday, November 3, but they were not captured.
The Report of the Committee of the Whole on the NIA was conspicuously missing in the Business Statement.
He said the report of the Special Budget Committee on the activities of the EC and the new constitutional instrument that the Commission intended to bring were also conspicuously missing.
The reports were to be presented to the House, debated, and then officials of the EC and the NIA could be scheduled to appear to answer questions on them.
“Mr Speaker, the whole nation is interested in this, civil society organisations are interested in this; the whole House want to meet the EC,” Mr Ibrahim said.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, who presented the Business Statement to Parliament on the behalf of the Majority Leader, said the Business Committee would do the needful.
Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has slammed broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere describing him as ignorant and unprofessional.
The two have been engaged in a verbal spat over the MP’s reference to Minority Leader Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s past as a spare parts dealer in a recent interview.
Murtala addressing the Majority Leader earlier on last week told TV3: “You listened to him in the press conference and he even said that the Speaker doesn’t even understand the law.
“When the Speaker was a lawyer practising, you, Honourable Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, you were selling spare parts at Magazine, at the time the Speaker was a practising lawyer.”
In an editorial on the October 27 edition of Good Evening Ghana, Adom-Otchere berated the, MP for denigrating the Majority Leader and by extension spare parts dealers.
Reacting to Adom-Otchere in an interview with Metro TV News, Murtala explained that his reference to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as a spare parts dealer was borne out by the facts which Adom-Otchere was clearly ignorant about.
“Indeed, that was his job and it is not denigratory, that was his job, he was actually selling spare parts at the time when Bagbin was already practicing as a lawyer … It had nothing to do with spare parts dealers,” he stressed.
He also disclosed that his father was actually a spare parts dealer and he (Murtala) had at a point in his life managed the spare parts business. “As a matter of fact, unknown to Paul, my father was a spare parts dealer, I used to manage father’s spare parts store. My father used to deal in sewing machines and bicycles and spare parts of same.
“So, for him to spin and create the impression that I was denigrating spare parts dealers, for me, that is most unfortunate. So, I knew he is ignorant, frankly; but I never knew he is that unprofessional,” Murtala jabbed.
Paul Adom-Otchere said that Murtala, by the statement he made, lacks wisdom.
“I talked about wisdom… that wisdom, it is not everybody that is able to demonstrate it like that. You’re a politician, a Member of Parliament, and you’re talking down spare parts dealers.
“Murtala, Allah will forgive you eh. Don’t do that again. You are part of a mass party, the National Democratic Congress, and you are rubbishing spare parts dealers that their nobodies.
“Don’t you know that people finish university these days with a first class in electrical engineering and then go and do spare parts dealing? What is wrong with some of our politicians?
“Murtala was talking down spare parts dealers that Majority Leader Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu he was a spare parts dealer when Bagbin was practising law. Murtala is saying that. The other day, he was not happy that somebody was calling him a teacher,” he said.
During a protest against Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief Biney, the Deputy National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman, the Deputy Chief of Staff, got into a fight.
The altercation started when the Deputy Chief of Staff, who was meeting the protesters to accept their petition on behalf of the vice president, overheard Chief Biney claim that a member of the Ghana Police Service had infiltrated the crowd.
Adumua-Bossman responded to the allegation by saying that Chief Biney’s accusation of the police was unfair.
“These officers have been here trying to protect life and property and also to ensure that this thing moves on as smoothly as possible. So, to accuse them of something they may not even be aware of is a bit unfair,” he said.
But this did not sit well with Chief Biney who retorted, “Don’t say I am accusing them unfairly, you were not there… The person infiltrated, the media has a video. He is a police officer”.
“I reported him. What the police were to do was to arrest him. If the police tells me that if somebody infiltrates it will create a problem and I, as a citizen, I’m able to identify somebody and I report to you and you shepherd him away. What do you want me to do?” he questioned.
Adumua-Bossman, however, maintained that the police were doing their work the best way, they see it.
He intimated that the NDC’s deputy national organizer’s accusations were baseless and unnecessary. He then went on to receive that petition and thanked the demonstrators.
The protest started at Kawukudi Park, through 37 to the Lands Commission junction, and turned right to the DVLA, where the demonstrators presented a petition to the Office of the Vice President.
“A middle-income country should maintain a debt to GDP ratio of no more than 60 percent, according to recommendations.
If you surpass 60% and reach 70% or more, you are classified as a highly indebted poor country, or HIPC.
Everyone in Ghana owes close to GH $900 if we divide the debt among all citizens, including children, he said.
Addressing residents of Kakasunaka in the Kpone Katamanso constituency on Wednesday as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, Mr Mahama said the government has since the year 2017 borrowed GH¢157 billion, thereby increasing the debt to GDP ratio to an unprecedented 76.7 percent.
“The recommended debt to GDP profile for a middle-income country is that we should remain not more than 60 percent debt to GDP. If you pass 60 percent and you go to 70 percent and above, you are becoming highly debt distressed, which is the same as HIPC. If we take that debt and divide it amongst all Ghanaians, including children, everybody owes almost GH¢9000,” he said.
Mr Mahama was amazed at the ballooning national debt stock inspite of attacks on his tenure and pledges by the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that it was capable of developing the country without loans.
He said when the NPP was in opposition, it created the impression that Ghanaians were sitting on money but were hungry as a result of the policies of the Mahama administration.
“But today we are hungrier than we were in 2016. How many people can eat three square meals a day today? And the question you ask is, where is the money, GH¢ 157 billion, what have you done with it? Show us”, he said.
Mr Mahama said his government developed the country with the GH¢56 billion it took in loans, adding the evidence can be seen all over the country that his government invested in roads, school blocks, hospitals, water and power expansion projects, among others.
Mr Mahama said, among others, the next NDC governement will focus on job creation, implementation of Free Primary Healthcare to ensure universal access to healthcare, rolling out Free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (T-VET) as well as state-sponsored National Apprenticeship Programme.
Prince Kwame Amoabeng, known by his stage name as Jeneral Ntatia, has disclosed that he finds himself in the middle of the opposition, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) political struggle.
Speaking with Abrantepa on E-Forum, the comic actor disclosed that his support for the NPP had people from the opposition attacking him. His comments about the abysmal performance of the ruling party, he said, have also triggered backlashes from the NPP and the NDC as well.
“But if you know in your heart that you haven’t gone for any money, you are bold in your heart to tell the truth.
“The funny part of the whole thing is, when it started, you get people from the opposition attacking you, and then you tell the truth and have those within the party (NPP) come at you. So now, you are in the middle. Whether to go left or right,” he disclosed.
Conceding that the nation was going through a hard time, the performer unveiled that its leadership under the president needed to get the country fixed.
“You don’t say too much when it comes to how the country is being governed. It’s not good, and what isn’t good needs to be discussed. It’s spoilt, and we need to fix it.
“We have to get to the point where we should be able to support something and still criticise it when it’s not going well,” he added.
He furthermore stated that the days when individuals kept quiet because they supported a particular political party have come to an end.
“The era where people wake up and say, I am with this particular person, whether it’s going bad or good, they still want to stick to that particular side, I think we have to do something about it, and that’s where we want to get to.
“When you support something, and the thing is not going well, and you tell the truth that it’s not going well, it’s bad,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jeneral Ntatia is expected to be part of the crew staging ‘Are We Safe’ at the National Theatre on October 28, 2022, at 4 PM and 8 PM. The comedy show features Clemento Suarez, Foster Romanus and other comic actors.
John Dramani Mahama, the 2020 presidential candidate of the country’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), addressed the nation on Thursday, October 27, 2022, from Accra.
The event, dubbed ‘Building the Ghana We Want,’ allowed the former president of Ghana to diagnose what he believed are the current problems the country is facing, as well as proffer solutions to how to make them better.
Reading a 39-page address at the UPSA Hall in Accra, the former president outlined a number of issues that he believes can save the country from further economic mess if the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government implores them.
Below are highlights of his speech as put together by GhanaWeb:
1. Reducing the public debt, debt service obligations and creating fiscal space
“The biggest problem with our economy today is the huge size of our public debt, estimated to be around GH¢ 522 billion by close of this year. This must immediately be tackled and stopped from growing further.
“To achieve this:
1) An immediate moratorium must be placed on all non-concessional borrowing.
2) Government must actively canvass our bilateral partners for more concessional financing and grants.
3) There must be a stop to Central Bank financing of government above the 5% threshold. The current printing of money to finance Government’s deficit is further fueling inflation.
4) Government must stop collateralizing statutory funds for the purpose of taking on more loans. The wanton collateralization has been unhelpful.”
2. Cutting cost, reducing waste, and spending wisely
Under this, he called for the down-streaming of the size of ministers, secretariats and agencies, the cutting down of the budget of the Office of the President, check waste in government expenditure and corruption, the suspension of non-essential projects, and a call for greater transparency in public procurement.
“It is a notorious fact that corruption has defeated the Akufo-Addo government. In fact, it is fair to say that there has never really been a fight against corruption under Akufo-Addo.
“The graft and misapplication of public funds by government appointees call for radical action and not shielding of perpetrators, as we have sadly witnessed in the last few years.”
3. Stabilizing the currency, cutting the import bill and job creation
While expanding this point, John Dramani Mahama called for a consideration of the Operation Feed Yourself program of 1976, as a measure of sustaining progress in agricultural production, with a focus on small scale producers.
He also called for the Akufo-Addo government to leverage on the country’s energy and petroleum sectors to help shore up the economy.
“We do enormous damage to our currency, the cedi, and our economy, when we spend billions of dollars on the importation of rice, sugar, tomato products, frozen fish, poultry, meat products and vegetable cooking oils.
“Yet we have more than the potential to produce here to feed ourselves and even export. It is estimated that forex outlay for food products for which we have a comparative advantage to produce locally amounts to some $3 billion every year.
“It is said that out of adversity comes opportunity. Restriction of importation of some of these products, side-by-side with increased local production, is a realistic proposition that we need to begin to consider.”
What Ghanaians can do to support the economy:
President John Dramani Mahama however called on the citizenry to play a critical role in all of this.
Basing his call for domestication, he urged people to patronize more local products and avoid the needs to patronize things from overseas.
“While responsibility for the difficulties we face lie with the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia government, there are things we can do as citizens in our own small way to minimize the suffering we are going through and help Government turn the situation around.
“A good way to start will be to regulate and minimize out expenditure by sticking to only the things that we really need. As much as possible, we need to acquire and sustain a taste and preference for locally manufactured products.
“If we must buy consumables or food products, let us choose that rice or chicken that is produced locally so that it doesn’t become necessary to find millions of dollars to import the same items.
“Let us consciously eat more of our local foods like yam, local grains, cassava, beans, local fruits, and vegetables. That way, we reduce demand for foreign currency, reduce the pressure on our own currency and boost domestic production to create a win-win situation.
“Cut down on non-essential foreign travel and cut down on expensive foreign products in our homes. If there ever was a time to be thrifty, this is it!”
Some aggrieved National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives and aspirants in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency have accused the incumbent constituency leadership of the party of conniving with other agencies to rig the just-ended constituency election.
They are pointing accusing fingers at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) constituency chairman, the Electoral Commission, NDC electoral committee and police for bullying their way through the election.
The members claim the elections were conducted in an unfair and unjust manner to enable the current leadership to stay in power.
“Some executives are threatening to withdraw their services, others are threatening to resign from their positions. We will not allow their overwhelming shouts of change to be silenced,” said Joshua Essel, one of the disgruntled aspirants.
Speaking at a press conference, Joshua Essel assured party members in the constituency that steps will be taken to annul the results.
“As leaders who believe in the rule of law, we have taken action and addressed the appropriate quarters. We seek redress and the total annulment of the elections because it was nothing but fraud. The election was fraught with many irregularities, illegalities and thievery”.
His frigid goal celebrations were one of his numerous shenanigans.
Balotelli will give a straight, angry face and start to walk back to his half while his teammates rush to him to celebrate the goal, unlike most players who dance or make gestures.
Finding a player who celebrates goals as “cold and serious” as Mario Balotelli does is far from possible, but a trait of his is found in Ghanaian politics.
Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, describes the National Democratic Congress‘ general secretary, Asiedu Nketiah, as the Balotteli of politics.
The member of parliament for Banda Constituency asserted while endorsing Nketiah to become the NDC national chairman.
“The courage of the man – general mosquito – is incomparable. When it comes to its parliament, the place we are afraid to be, that is where you will see him. When you see him you cannot relent…one thing about general is that, he is like Balotelli. When he scores, he doesn’t smile. He doesn’t care about credit so whatever you will do he doesn’t care,” he said.
He has since repeated his demands that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo remove Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta from their positions.
While he is supporting increased calls for Ofori-dismissal, Atta’s he wants Bawumia to be removed from his position as chairman of the Economic Management Team.
Speaking at a public lecture themed: “Building the Ghana We Want,’ in Accra on October 27, 2022, Mahama said it was sad that his previous calls for this action have not been heeded by Akufo-Addo.
“I re-echoed demands by Ghanaians that the finance minister and the Chair of the Economic Management Team, who have been primarily responsible for this economic catastrophe, be relieved of their positions to breed confidence among stakeholders and offer the economy a new lease of life.
“I asked that the President deploys some of the arsenals in the Presidential toolkit and reshuffle his government to inject innovation and freshness of thinking into the running of the country,” he stated.
“I also asked that the President addresses the nation to inform the public of the specific steps he was intending to take to weather the pending economic storm.
“This address was meant to calm the anxiety of the investor community and rally Ghanaians behind any such efforts. Regrettably, the President dug in and failed to do any of these,” he added.
As part of his presentation, the 2020 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, outlined a number of short, medium and long-term solutions to the current economic crisis that the government was grappling with.
In a presentation before Mahama’s address, former deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato-Forson laid out how perilous the state of the economy was and the need for Ghanaians to tighten their belts for hard times ahead.
A national chairman hopeful on the ticket of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nii Armah Ashitey, is urging the rank and file of the party to unite and challenge the governing New Patriotic Party’s ‘Break the Eight’ mantra in 2024.
“We can alone break the NPP’s break the eight mantra if we solidly unite for a purpose,” he rallied.
The former NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Klottey Korley Constituency in the Greater Accra Region made this comment speaking in an interview with Emmanuel Quarshie (The Hitman), host of the Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, October 27 2022.
“Unless the NDC unites after the elections that it can devise a strategy to break the NPP’s quest to break the eight,” he said.
“It is incumbent on the winners in the last elections to reach out to the losers in last Saturday’s Constituency elections to achieve the purpose of breaking the NPP’s break eight,” he added.
“Unfortunately, as a party, we have not taken any interest in the NPP’s mantra to break the eight but we can break the NPP’s quest to break the eight,” Mr Ashitey bemoaned.
“I have always shied away from scoring the president on his performance because he has failed on all cylinders,” he noted.
He added that NPP has failed to give Ghanaians hope by not bringing the needed change in the country.
“Ghanaians have had enough of the bad governance of president Akufo-Addo,” he put forth.
The former Minister of Manpower and Labour Relations said Ghana as a nation, ‘we have it all but we have not been able to fix the problems of the country because all economic measures being churned out favour foreigners in the country.”
He called for the need for Ghana to domesticate its economic gains.
The man who is a lawyer by profession said he had worked in various capacities within the rank and file of the party hence he is capable to lead the party as a national chairman.
“I’m ready to share my experience in the leadership of the party” he said, adding that the NDC has a problem because it lost elections in 2016 and in 2020.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, has insisted that his party, the New Patriotic Party, are better managers of Ghana’s economy compared to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking in an interview on TV3, which GhanaWeb monitored, Okyere Baafi said that if the NDC were the handlers of the economy in these difficult times, Ghanaians would be suffering so much that they would have to resort to selling people to make a living.
“When we say people have the men to govern, have the ideas to govern, it is even out of place to compare the NDC and the NPP. I don’t stand to be corrected. How do you say that? It is completely out of place.
“You cannot situate this at any given talk or conversation. What were you (the NDC) able to do? As a matter of fact, I am telling you with confidence that if you people were to be in power by this time, people will be selling human beings on the street of Ghana… It is a statement of fact that I’m making to you,” he said.
Okyere Baafi, who is the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, also refuted assertions by the NDC that Ghanaians are facing a lot of challenges because the Akufo-Addo government does not listen.
According to him, the advice given to the government by the opposition NDC are out of bad will.
“The mindset (of the opposition), the spirit behind the talk is not clear. It doesn’t seem good. It is not honest,” he added.
The Aspiring General secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Peter Buamah Otukonor has revealed that the NDC will do everything possible to win the 2020 general elections.
According to him, the 2024 elections will be a ‘do or die affair’ as they will not let history to repeat itself.
In an interview with GhanaWeb, he said they don’t expect the NPP to repeat whatever they did in the 2020 elections.
“(2024 elections) do or die it will certainly be because we can not afford to stand a minute with this incompetent and clueless government. Most importantly and particularly too, on behalf of the people of this country, we cannot tolerate the continuance of this government and so whatever it will take to win political power in 2024 we are going to do that together with the people of this country to make sure we change government and bring a government to understands the plight and need of people,” he said.
He added that the power of the people should not be underestimated.
He said the signs are already clear that the Ghanaians have lost trust in the President Akufo-Addo.
He cited the booing in his recent public appearance and the during his tour as clear examples of the mistrust.
The Minority in Parliament has distanced itself from its Deputy Whip’s endorsement of Johnson Asiedu Nketiah in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) chairmanship race.
In a statement, the Minority said the Deputy Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim’s claim that the NDC caucus in Parliament was supporting Mr. Nketiah was untrue.
It said the leadership of the Caucus never met on the matter “and have not taken any decision on the matter.”
It also said the Caucus has not met and has not taken any decision on any of the candidates contesting any position within the Party
The Minority added that “the Leadership and the Caucus has no position on any of the candidates vying for the respective positions in the Party.”
The Minority also said Mr. Ibrahim, who is also the Banda MP, has apologised to the NDC Caucus for the comments.
“We accordingly urge our rank and file and the public to disregard the purported statement made during the launch.”
It was earlier communicated by Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, that the NDC Caucus supports the candidature of Mr Asiedu Nketia, the current General Secretary of the Party.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, who is also the Member of Parliament for Banda, made the comment at the launch of the election campaign of the aspirant on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
However, the Tamale South MP explains that “ the Leadership of the Caucus never met on the matter and have not taken any decision on the matter.”
Mr Iddrisu also noted that neither has the Caucus met to deliberate nor taken a decision on any candidate contesting any position within the Party, therefore, has urged the rank and file and the public to disregard the purported statement made during the launch.
According to him, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim’s attention has been drawn to the matter and “has since rendered an unqualified apology to the entire Caucus.”
“We further wish to urge all Members of the Caucus to refrain from making such comments in the immediate future,” Mr Iddrisu entreated.
The chairmanship race
Mr Nketia, who has been the NDC General Secretary for the past 17 years, believes he is now experienced, trustworthy and fearless to serve as the chairman of the party.
Aspirants for the various national positions of the party are expected to file their nomination on November 5 and 6, 2022.
Successful candidates will be vetted on November 9-10, 2022, while November 12 and 13 will be set aside for appeals ahead of the Women and Youth Conference on December 10 and a National Conference on December 17, this year.
On the other hand, the Council of Elders of the Party has called for calm and decorum between the two contestants in the chairmanship race.
“In the interest of party cohesion, internal discipline and long-term stability, the Council urges all contestants to regional and national positions, especially the incumbent national chairman and General Secretary, to be circumspect in their campaigns by adhering to ground rules discussed and agreed upon,” it said.
“These include the use of decorous language, refrain from media attacks, breach of confidentiality and misrepresentations of decisions taken in relation to past actions of leadership,” the Council added.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Wing has made a strong-worded call on President Akufo-Addo to not only sack Ken Ofori-Atta but for him to also resign as Head of State.
Issued under the hand of the National Youth Organiser of the party, George Opare Addo, the group said that Ghanaians have had enough of the performance of this administration that has plunged the country into a lot of hardships.
The statement added that many Ghanaians have lost their investments and livelihoods because of the kind of government the president has run in the last six years.
“Over the past six years, you, your cousin the Finance Minister, your Economic Management Team headed by your incompetent Vice President, as well as your entire Government have pursued economic and fiscal policies that have wreaked havoc on our nation’s economy and resulted in untold hardships for the Ghanaian people.
“Today, because of your reckless governance, Ghanaian families are unable to put food on the table. People’s entire life savings are going down the drain, and our currency, the cedi, is depreciating at a rate never seen in the history of our nation in the past four decades. Yours has been a failure of historic proportions; one that has plunged our nation into its most acute economic downturn in an entire generation,” the statement said.
The NDC Youth Wing, therefore, called for an immediate resignation from the president else they would embark on an unprecedented resistance to his government.
“Enough is enough! Ghanaians did not give you the mandate to put us through this level of suffering that has spared no family nor business. The Ghanaian people cannot continue to suffocate under your repressive and destructive misrule. It has become apparent that you lack the fortitude to properly govern this country. We demand that you sack your finance minister and resign now, to stem the suffering that has engulfed our nation and save our country from further collapse and international ignominy!
“If you remain headstrong and refuse to sack the finance minister and resign from office as President, we will confront you with a level of resistance never experienced by any President in the history of our country,” it added.
The group further called on the youth of the country to be on standby to picket against the government.
“We are by this medium calling on all young people of this country to picket at Government offices and protest across the country whenever they are called upon by the Leadership of the Youth Wing to do so,” the statement said.
Already, there has been a call by 80 Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, as a way of restoring public confidence in the economy.
The president has since met with the MPs and urged them to give the minister some time to complete some pertinent government business, including the completion of an IMF negotiation.
According to Mr. Vincent Oppong Asamoah, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Dormaa West, the NPP-Government performs appallingly when there is no financial oversight.
He claimed that after taking office in 2017, the NPP-led administration—and in particular, the Finance Minister—performed better since the nation was subject to an IMF program, which had local representatives in charge of keeping an eye on all economic activity.
Unfortunately, he claimed that the Finance Minister lost focus when Ghana left the IMF program, which led to the country’s current economic condition.
Some members of the Majority Caucus in Parliament have called for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori Atta, with immediate effect.
The majority group, led by the Member of Parliament for Asante Akim- North, Andy Appiah Kubi, demanded the removal of the Finance Minister from office at a press conference in Parliament Yesterday.
According to them, the decision is based on issues of lack of confidence and non-performance on the part of Minister Ofori Atta.
Aside from the Finance Minister, the NPP MPs have also called for the removal of the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Dr Charles Adu Boahen.
Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Mr Vincent Oppong Asamoah was of the view that the Finance Minister should have resigned or been sacked by the President long ago.
You may recall that the President commended the Finance Minister for performing very well before the covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, saying he will not blame him for the current economic turmoil.
The MP said, ” Before 2017, the IMF and the World Bank predicted that Ghana’s growth rate would be 7 percent because of the investments made by the previous government.” Before the NDC left, we had solved ‘dumsor’. The major problem the Mahama-Administration had was the energy crisis. But by the time we left, we had been able to fix the energy issue, and we had additional oil fields. The IMF predicted that our growth rate would go to seven percent in 2017. At that time, we were working with the IMF and they were in this country, monitoring everything, even with the disbursement, everyone knows that they were giving Ghana GHC850 million under the IMF Programme, they disbursed only GHC300 Million and they disbursed the greater part when the NPP-government, and the Finance Minister took over.
Tuesday’s parliamentary session was marked by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Caucus wearing black and red clothes to symbolize their “mourning of Ghana’s prolonged economic catastrophe.”
At a news conference in the House, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the ranking member of the parliament’s finance committee, explained that everyone was wearing black and red because they were lamenting Ghana’s democracy and the situation of the country’s economy.
“Our economy is in such horrible health that if caution is not exercised, we will crash it to a point beyond recovery.
And for that reason, we have chosen to lament it while also making it clear to the government that we won’t back down, he said.
“The economy is our livelihood, we will stand firm for the people of Ghana, because they deserve it. We think the people of Ghana have done no wrong to deserve this kind of treatment and mismanagement, coupled with ineptitude.”
Dr Forson reiterated the Minority Caucus’ call for the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, to be relieved of his post.
He said they had filed a motion on the floor of Parliament for his impeachment.
Dr Forson, who outlined the seven reasons why the Minority was calling for the removal of the Finance Minister alleged a conflict of interest, claiming the Minister was “directly benefiting from Ghana’s economic woes with his companies taking undue advantage of the system, particularly, from Ghana’s debt overhaul”.
Secondly, he alleged that there were withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution and the Petroleum Management Act for the construction of the National Cathedral.
Dr Forson alleged there were illegal payments of oil revenues into offshore accounts in violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Financial Management Act, as well as the Petroleum Revenue Act (Act 815).
“The fourth is misreporting of figures to Parliament, where he decided to account for expenditure as amortization and setting expenditure as foot note in the financial reporting standard, contrary to global financial reporting standards,” he said.
He said “fiscal recklessness” was obviously leading to the crash of the Ghanaian cedi making it one of the worst performing currencies.
Dr Forson criticised the managers of the economy, saying their “incompetence” and “gross mismanagement” of the economy had brought untold hardships on Ghanaians.
“Colleague, we can’t do this alone, we need the majority to support us to do this. We need to assist the President to make sure that this happens.”
He suggested that new leaders be appointed to head the Economic Management Team and the Bank of Ghana to offer alternative solutions.
One of the main contenders in the main opposition race for the 2020 National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) flagbearership race is urging his supporters to rally behind former president John Dramani Mahama for the position of flagbearer for the 2024 general elections to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to Prof Joshua Alabi, former president John Dramani Mahama is the toast of the people hence the need to support him to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party.
Prof Alabi, a former rector of the University of Professional Studies in Accra came second in the last NDC flagbearer race and subsequently became the campaign manager for the NDC in the 2020 general elections.
Mr Alabi announced his decision not to contest the former president in an interview on Accra 100.5 FM’s evening news programme on Monday, October 24, 2022.
He said there is a need for the rank and file of the party to rally behind the former president to come and save the country from the current economic doldrums that the NPP has imposed on Ghanaians.
He explained that the NDC has a track record of economic recovery adding that in the defunct Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) era, the government that birthed NDC, all efforts were made to regain economic recovery which is what the NPP has come to power to throw away.
He added that from the look of things Ghanaians will not forgive the NDC if it fails to wrestle power from the NPP come the 2024 general elections.
He admitted that the signs are clear on the wall but the NDC as a party needs to work hard to ensure victory.
He noted that the only candidate who can ensure the NDC’s victory is the former president who is tried and tested.
He was of the view that the former president stands tall when it comes to the management of the economy stemming as he decried the way the NPP’s economic management team has woefully failed in the management of the economy.
He also charged that the NPP’s failure to manage the economy has led to the economic challenges many Ghanaians are facing today.
Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo, a member of the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) legal team, made a statement on contentious remarks allegedly made by the Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin.
The Osagyefo has been quoted as saying that anyone who attack President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are either village children or witches or wizards.
Edudzi disagrees with the statement and believes that the chief would be better off remaining silent rather than insulting people.
The lawyer shared a video of the said comments with a caption that read:
“Can this chief be quite small? Your family member has destroyed this beautiful country and you are talking down and insulting people. Please keep quiet.”
The Okyenhene whiles making comments at a church service attended by the President over the weekend spoke about the two issues, defending the president over the economic downturn and citing global events.
On galamsey, he tasked chiefs to stand up to the task of rooting out the menace and not to look at short-term financial considerations and bequeath a long-term crisis to generations.
The Okyenhene’s controversial comments:
“We must appreciate the feat of the President and show him [some] appreciation for what he has done for Ghana. We must defend and protect him,” he said.
“Not all will like you. Even Jesus Christ was crucified. It won’t bother me if they speak with sincerity but when you speak with hate, witchcraft, and envy, you must be careful because one day! one day! one day! one day!
“One day! the truth will overcome evil lies and envy,” Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II added when he spoke at the inauguration of the Archdeaconry Service held at the St. Martin Anglican Church in Kyebi on Sunday, October 23, 2022.
The long-serving General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah (General Mosquito), has been predicted by Okay FM journalist Kwame Nkrumah Tikese to win the contest for the opposition party’s chairmanship.
He remarked that he wasn’t sure if anyone would challenge General Mosquito, adding that they would be better off using their campaign funds to stock their wives’ businesses with food and supplies.
“Starting with the constituency election, the NDC will elect executives.
If you attend the national executive election, my uncle Johnson Asiedu Nketiah will be running for chairman of the NDC rather than remaining in his position as general secretary.
“This contest, uncle has won it. I’m not sure anyone is contesting him. Is someone contesting him? I don’t remember. If someone is contesting him, he should use his small campaign money to buy provisions for his wife’s store. That is what will help you,” Tikese said on Ade Akye Abia on October 24.
In a joint interview on Accra100.5FM and CTV morning shows, the NDC scribe told joint hosts Emmanuel Quarshie (The Hitman) and Nana Otu Darko that: “Yes, I have the intention of picking up a form to contest the chairmanship position when nominations are opened”.
His declaration meant that he would come up against the incumbent chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, who has also declared his reelection bid.
Questioned on whether his stance of contesting the chairman position will not bring rivalry between him and the incumbent, Asiedu Nketiah said democracy is meant to bring competition, and so he sees nothing wrong with competing with the incumbent.
“Is there democracy without rivalry, or are we taking a decision to abandon democracy? That thinking is anti-democratic,” he stated, adding “democracy must bring competition so that the best will emerge….”
The NDC is expected to hold elections for national executives on December 17,
Mr. Otchere-Darko warned NPP members to cease comparing their party’s accomplishments to those of the NDC since doing so was not wise given the current economic climate, notwithstanding Mr. Addo’s assertion that the NPP cannot equal the NDC in the country’s development program.
Communicators of the two parties have been making spirited arguments about which of the two parties have been the better manager of the economy and the comparisons have been triggered by the depreciation of the local currency and other challenges facing the economy.
Mr Otchere-Darko urged members of his party to stop comparing NPP’s achievements with NDC over ‘politics of equalisation’ as it was not prudent amidst the economic hardships being experienced by the citizenry.
He stressed that there was a need for the party to focus more on highlighting the government’s policies, programmes and social interventions instead of bantering with NDC which should not be the posture of the party in the wake of economic difficulties.
“NPP should not play the politics of equalisation with the NDC on inflation, interest rates and depreciation of the cedi since the world is facing an economic crisis like never before in a time of peace and Ghana has been hit hard because our economic recovery is being delicately managed in a pre-COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Otchere-Darko postulated.
The country is currently reeling under intense economic pressure due to consistent increments in the rate of inflation, depreciation of the cedi, increasing debt stock, unemployment and high cost of living still rising by the day compelling the Ghana Union of Traders to close down their shops over hardships.
The government is on the verge of concluding negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on interventions that can transform the country’s economic fortunes.
Reacting, Mr Addo insisted that the NPP had performed poorly and could not win the ‘equalisation game’ against the NDC regime because the NPP’s penchant for ‘reckless spending’ and ‘Ponzi-like borrowing’ was the cause of economic woes.
He indicated that NPP could not win the equalisation game because Ghana was not the only country hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but reckless borrowing had accounted for the worst economic performance ever recorded.
“These engagements do not augur well for the NPP, hence the need for the party to draw the attention of citizens to what the government is doing to alleviate their plight,” Mr Addo noted.
The Police Commander for the Ashaiman Municipality, Superintendent Osman Alhassan has told Citi News that crime rate in Ashaiman has reduced drastically.
This he attributes to hard work on the part of police officers.
He noted with certainty that, the negative tag on Ashaiman as a haven for criminals will become a thing of the past.
According to him, the police will leave no security-related issues unattended.
“There is no problem in Ashaiman because we do not have serious and other violent crimes in the community. The police have been able to control the crime rate in Ashaiman even to the surprise of residents.”
His comments come on the back of a successful conduct of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency election at Ashaiman where there was no incident recorded despite the tense atmosphere.
Election of the Akan Constituency executive officers for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is currently underway at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.
In all, 62 candidates are vying for the various executive positions in the constituency.
Four candidates are contesting for the Chairmanship slot: Eric Kwadwo Apeadu, Son of Mr John Kwadwo Gyapong, the Oti NDC Regional Chairman, Rasheed Sulemana, former Constituency Secretary, Awal Karim Abudu, former Zongo Caucus Co-ordinator, and Raphael Kofi Adiepena, a farmer.
Jonathan Tetteh, Datsomor Francis, Apreku John, and Mohammed Abubakar are vying for vice-chair position.
The three aspirants for Secretary position are the incumbent, Isaac Abavon, Sitsofe Amemor, and Maxwell Kokoroko.
Two candidates are contesting the Women’s Organiser position: Mamam Happy and Akakpo Fadji, while the Youth Organiser contest is between Mohammed Sulley and Quarshigah Sampson.
Three contestants are vying for Treasurer; Daniel Ofori, Kradwete Peter and Kliati Helen, while Sulemana Tadjudeen, Murtala Ibrahim and Harisu Issaka are battling it out for the Zongo Caucus.
The Communication Officer position is being contested by Vifa Francis, Tagbor Wilson, and Akrasi Richard.
Deputy Youth Organiser, Deputy Women Organiser and Deputy Communication Officer had two candidates each, while the Deputy Secretary position is being contested by four aspirants.
There are 18 other candidates vying for Executive member positions.
Mr Isaac Abavon, the incumbent Constituency Secretary, told Ghana News Agency that he was sure of victory because of his track record.
Mr Foster Nyaro, Organiser hopeful, and Assemblyman for Koto-Nkwanta Electoral Area, said victory was his as he had all it took to win.
“My experience as an Assemblyman gives me an edge over my opponents,” he said.
Mr Bright Tsordzine Mensah, an Organiser aspirant, said when given the nod, would garner more votes for the NDC to ensure victory in 2024.
A total of 1,060 delegates are expected to vote during the polls, supervised by officials from the Electoral Commission, led by Justice Odame-Frimpong, the District Electoral Officer.
The delay in the printing of ballot papers for the National Democratic Congress(NDC) Constituency election in the Bolgatanga Central Constituency has affected the start of the process.
As at 1300hours when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the polling station, delegates, aspirants, and party sympathisers were seated in groups and chatting among themselves, while aspirants took the opportunity to campaign.
The GNA observed that though the entire voting hall was set and ready for the exercise to commence, the Electoral Commission (EC) officials were seated and waiting to receive the ballot papers.
When the ballots arrived at about 1430hours, the EC officials started sorting them out for voting to begin.
Mr Donatus Nyaaba, the Regional Director of Elections, NDC, said a delay in the printing of the ballot papers had delayed the whole process.
He said the problem was not peculiar to only the Bolgatanga Central Constituency and that the Chiana-Paga Constituency in the Kassena-Nankana West District was also affected.
Mr Roland Atanga Ayoo, the incumbent Constituency Secretary, who is seeking re-election, told the GNA that “pockets of information I have gathered suggest that the printers were not paid in full, and that has delayed the printing.”
He said delegates and aspirants were anxious as they were unduly delayed.
Mr Ayoo said: “They were here as early as 0800hours and are not very impressed about the situation. The anxiety level is very high.”
He added that despite the delay, the outcome of the election would not be affected even though it would be stressful.
“An election that would have ended very early is likely to travel into the night and would cause a lot of stress to many people.”
The aspirant appealed to delegates to continue to exercise patience and was hopeful that by the close of day, the election would be conducted.
As at the time of filing this report, sorting was still on-going with heavy police presence.
Hundreds of National Democratic Congress (NDC) delegates Saturday were left stranded and disappointed following the postponement of the Cape Coast South Constituency elections.
The elections were deferred to Sunday, October 23, 2022, due to a challenge with the printing of the ballot papers, the Ghana News Agency gathered.
Delegates and aspirants, some of whom arrived at the Adisadel School Park, the venue for the elections, as early 0500hours were agitated when the news went to them around 0900 hours.
At the time, some aspirants were also distributing food to their supporters and making last minute frantic efforts to win the hearts of the voters.
Officials of the Electoral Commission, who were present to supervise the elections, left the place in the wake of the development.
In all, 1,026 delegates are expected to vote for 55 candidates vying for 17 positions in the constituency on Sunday, should the challenge be resolved.
Mr Abdul Wahab Amid, a member of the constituency’s election directorate, who described the situation as “unprecedented” said the delegates were disappointed by the turn of events.
He said their activities had been disrupted by the situation and, therefore, people had had to alter their plans.
“The election directorate was very optimistic of the elections being held today until the call came through around 0900 hours,” he said.
“They asked us not to announce it to the delegates with the hope that the challenge would be resolved but unfortunately the papers could get here.”
“We are hoping that by tomorrow, the ballot papers will be ready.”
A delegate and NIB branch organiser for the party, Mr Benjamin Gyepi Garbrah, said many delegates had travelled long distances to vote while the aspirants had spent a lot on campaigning and expressed the hope they would sail through on Sunday.
“But as a family, we will try and resolve it. There is nothing we can do because it has already happened. I hope everything will be fine by tomorrow,” he told the GNA.
Another delegate, Maame Esi, said she arrived at the venue at 0530 hours with the hope of being among the first delegates to vote and, though disappointed, she was hopeful that the issue will be resolved.
The National Elections Directorate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)has nullified elections held in three constituencies in the country.
The constituencies are Atiwa West, Mpraeso, and Afram Plains South.
The Elections Directorate of the party said the elections were in clear violation of an earlier directive of the Directorate for the postponement of elections in those constituencies.
“The National Election Directorate wishes to place on record that the said purported elections in those constituencies are illegal and hence, null and void. The party does not and will not recognize those elections and their outcomes.”
The NDC’S Elections Directorate said its decision includes other constituencies who have violated other directives in the conduct of their elections, “particularly the inclusion of branches that are excluded from partaking in the elections and the exclusion or inclusion of persons who have been either qualified or disqualified from being on the ballot sheet by the appeals process.”
It said it will publish a full list of the constituencies in the coming days.
The Elections Directorate said it will in due course conduct elections in these constituencies.
“The party will in the meantime investigate the unsanctioned elections in these constituencies and punish all the culprits involved.”
It cautioned other constituencies affected by FEC’s earlier directive to take a cue from this and strictly observe all the directives and guidelines pertaining to the conduct of the ongoing constituency elections.
The National Democratic Congress(NDC) is holding constituency elections across the country today and Sunday to elect another batch of leaders to steer the affairs of the party.
In the Greater Accra Region, for instance, 33 out of 34 constituencies will hold elections as scheduled following delayed processes by the Amasaman constituency.
In the Odododiodioo constituency, over 2000 delegates are expected to partake in the election of constituency executives.
The election will see about 36 candidates vying for 9 positions.
About 2000 delegates from about 220 branches have also gathered at the 5-star basic school at Tema New Town to decide the fate of about 60 aspirants in the Tema West Constituency.
In the Tema East Constituency, about 1,300 delegates from about 120 branches are also taking part in a similar exercise at the Manhean school park.
61 aspirants are also seeking the mandate of about 3000 delegates from 350 branches in the Ashaiman constituency to steer the affairs of the party in the area ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The District Electoral Officer for Ashiedu Keteke, Eric Otchere, spoke to Citi News on preparations made towards the exercise.
“We expect the process to be as smooth as it has been so far, especially with the efforts we have put in to discourage any violence. All in all, we are confident we will end up with a free and fair election.”
The Constituency Youth Organiser of the NDC for Odododiodioo, Sheikh Ibrahim who is contesting unopposed in the elections outlined some measures put in place in eradicating the tag of Odododiodioo being one of the most violent places during elections.
”I am fortunate to go unopposed for one of the leading constituencies in Ghana. I take it as a privilege. We have spoken to the youth groups to calm down during the exercise. We have urged them not to engage in any activities that will undermine the peace we enjoy. I am thus confident that we will have peaceful, free and fair elections.”
A chairman aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nii Armah Ashittey, has said he stands taller and weightier than Samuel Ofosu-Amofo (the incumbent chairman) and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah (the incumbent general secretary who wants to unseat the incumbent chair) in the party’s upcoming internal polls.
Mr Nketia recently said in an interview that Mr Ofosu-Ampofo lacked the needed courage to be chair of the party and revealed that the latter unilaterally announced the boycott of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in 2019 without consulting the buy-in of his other leaders.
In response, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said: “Throughout my entire adult life, I have faithfully, dutifully, and conscientiously served the National Democratic Congress in various capacities. I have done so with honour and dignity while resisting every temptation to vilify political opponents.”
He added that, “I hold the view that it is totally out of place for party officials to divulge or discuss internal party matters that are within their knowledge by virtue of their privileged position, in the media or on any public forum”.
“It is within this spirit that I elect to refrain from commenting on the merit or otherwise of the matters that were referenced in the said interview, including high-level party decisions that are supposed to be held in confidence,” he continued.
Speaking on the Class Morning Show of his ambition to lead the party as chair, the former Greater Accra Regional Minister said: “I have what it takes: I’ve been a mayor of Tema under the late Rawlings, I served as a member of parliament for Klottey Korle and also the Greater Accra regional minister under the late Prof Mills and I served John Dramani Mahama as the minister of employment and labour relations. I am a lawyer. I was a trade unionist and a businessman”.
“I know Ampofo, I know Asiedu Nketiah and I can tell you, I’m taller and weightier”, he noted.
Of his contenders, Mr Ashittey said: “I know the two [Asiedu Nketia and Oforu-Ampofo]. Yes, they’ve served the party, but there’s also the issue that there are problems. I mean, when you sit back, seriously you know that there are problems. There is a problem at the top and recently, Asiedu confirmed that there is a problem”.
“He mentioned Ayawaso Wuogon but there could be others that he didn’t mention and I mean we are all members of the party, they have the right to stand, they’ve stood for elections and won and they want to go again. It doesn’t mean I cannot also come and join. That’s the beauty of democracy”, he indicated.
He explained: “I am coming because I know there are problems considering that we lost 2016, we lost 2020 because of the collation of results. Are we going to gamble again with 2024?”
In his analysis, the governing New Patriotic Party sees Mr Ofosu-Ampofo and Mr Asiedu Nketiah as weak spots that could be capitalised upon to ‘break the 8’.
“When l listen to the NPP, at times we take a lot of things for granted. They’ve been talking about: ‘We’ll break the 8’. You see, breaking the 8 is not just about breaking, it goes with certain things and one of the things that I, sitting back, which I believe the NPP have factored into their ‘breaking the 8’ is who will be the leaders of the NDC”, he analysed.
“Breaking the 8, as these people have been talking about, have factored into [it], who will be the chairman of the NDC, who will be the general secretary and they have factored in Asiedu Nketia and Ofosu-Ampofo and at this time that they want to be chairman, either or”.
“So, for me, Asiedu cannot say that he’s an alternative to Ofosu-Ampofo. No, he cannot at all”.
“Why am I saying that? The two of them are the leaders and have been the leaders of the party, so, whatever problems there have been, whatever confusion there is at the top, they are a party to it, they are the same boat; if the boat is going down, it will go down with the two of whatever”.
“So, for me, it is important for our delegates to remember that they are not alternatives to each other. And, particularly at this time when there is this struggle going on. There must be somebody is should be able to bring them together at the end of it all”.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will today and tomorrow elect officers to steer the affairs of the Party at the constituency level for the next four years
All is set for the elections, except in 24 constituencies in the Eastern, Central, Volta, Upper West, and Greater Accra regions where the elections have been put on hold.
A statement signed by Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, Deputy Director of Elections, NDC, ahead of the elections, said the decision was taken due to “disputes over delegates’ list for those constituencies and/or the exclusion from ballot papers of candidates who have been qualified through the appeal process.”
The affected constituencies in the Eastern Region are: Mpraeso, Atiwa East, Atiwa West, Achiase, Nkwawkwaw, Upper West Akim , Afram Plains North, Akim Swedru , Akropong , Fanteakwa South, and Asene Manso Akroso constituencies.
In the Greater Accra Region, elections in the Shai Osudoku, Bortianor Ngleshie , Ningo Prampram, Ledzekuku, Ayawaso North , Amasaman , and Adentan constituencies have been put on hold.
The elections will also not be held in the Hohoe, and Sogakope constituencies in the Volta Region while those in the Prestea Huni Valley and the Shama constituencies in the Western Region have also been put on hold.
The Jirapa West Constituency is the only constituency affected in the Upper West Region.
The Party’s Functional Executive Committeeearlier directed that all elections should be held in one day – either Saturday October 22, 2022 or Sunday, October 23, 2022.
A total of 11, 825 candidates had filed to compete in the elections in the 276 constituencies, including the Santrokofi Akpafu Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) Constituency, which does not have a representation in Parliament yet.
Per the Party’s guidelines, eligible voters would be required to have paid their party dues in full before they would be allowed to cast their votes.
Branch executives and former government appointees of the Party will be eligible to vote in the elections.
The Chairman and Constituency executives are responsible for the venue for the constituency conference, but where there are disagreements, the elections venue “shall” be at the District Capital, the Party, said.
All constituencies are required to include candidates who have been duly cleared to contest through the appeal process on their ballot papers and exclude candidates who have been disqualified through the appeals process from the ballot papers. Elections will not be held till ballot papers are rectified,” it said in a statement.
The Party cautioned that: “Failure to strictly adhere to this directive will render any election illegal, hence a nullity, and appropriate sanctions will be applied to any person found culpable.”
A total of 13, 209 delegates are expected to vote to decide the fate of some 466 aspirants in the Bono Regional National Democratic Congress (NDC) Party’s constituency election this weekend.
In all, that region has 12 constituencies.
Mr Richard Blay, the Party’s Bono Regional Director of Elections, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Sunyani that Banda was the only constituency among the 12 that had all its aspirants going unopposed and therefore, would settle for acclamation on Saturday.
He said that aside, the Berekum East constituency would hold the election on Sunday, but the rest would have theirs on Saturday.
Giving the constituency breakdown, Mr Blay explained that in Sunyani East Constituency, 43 aspirants were seeking to be elected with 2,295 delegates expected to vote, whereas in Sunyani West, 1,700 delegates would be voting for 40 aspirants.
At the Berekum East constituency, 1,204 delegates would be voting for 47 aspirants, whereas Berekum West has 46 candidates with 561 expected delegates.
The Dormaa West constituency has 39 contenders and 540 delegates, Dormaa East, 36 candidates and 807 delegates and the Dormaa Central, 42 aspirants but 1,247 delegates.
The Jaman North and Jaman South constituencies have 41 and 47 aspirants, with 1,014 and 1,211 expected delegates, respectively.
The Wenchi constituency has 50 aspirants and 1,256 delegates with the Tain constituency having 35 aspirants and 1,372 delegates.
Mr Blay expressed satisfaction with the election process in all the 12 constituencies, saying everything was on course for a successful, free, and fair election, indicating security on the day was well-assured for the safety of everyone.
The 466 candidates are contesting Chairman, Vice- Chairman, Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Organiser, Deputy Organiser, Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer, Communication Officer, and Deputy Communication Officer positions.
The other positions are Women Organiser, Deputy Women Organiser, Youth Organiser, Deputy Youth Organiser, One Youth Representative, Zongo Caucus Coordinator and eight other Executive members.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP)of commissioning projects initiated under the Mahama government during the President’s recent tour of the Ashanti Region.
According to the party, President Akufo-Addo has failed the people of the region despite making numerous promises during the election period.
Addressing the press, the Ashanti Regional Communications Director of the NDC, Abass Nurudeen, said the underwhelming performance of the NPP vindicates the NDC.
“President, Akufo-Addo has very little to show for all his unprecedented borrowing,” Mr. Nurudeen said.
In contrast, he added that former President Mahama started legacy projects like the Kejetia Central Market, which President Akufo-Addo inspected during his tour.
But the NPP has vehemently defended the party’s infrastructure track record in the Ashanti Region.
Richard Ahiagbah, the Communications Director of the NPP, argued that in these matters, governance should be considered a continuum.
“They are the ones who will tell you that government is a continuum. All the debt they incurred as they are sitting in opposition now, who is paying it?”
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the Ashanti Region have cautioned the Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh to stay off joining issues with former president John Dramani Mahama.
The party at an October 20, 2022 press conference said a recent attack on the former president by the MP, popularly referred to as NAPO, was to further his ambitions of becoming a vice-presidential aspirant of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
NAPO had earlier this week stated that he was going to match Mahama boot for boot given that he was the most likely presidential candidate of the NDC. He reportedly added that he was going to teach Mahama some sense.
Responding to his claims, the NDC official who addressed the press conference stated: “We know you have aspirations of becoming a running mate, but if you think you will use Mahama to advance your aspirations, then we are battle ready for you.
The NDC asked NAPO to advance any extra sense that he had to VP Mahamudu Bawumia to help him tackle the economic challenges the country is currently faced with.
“We want to tell the Manhyia South MP that even if he has any sense as he claims, he should advance some to Bawumia to tackle the economic challenges so that people in his constituency – Alabar and Ashtown – to ameliorate the hardship and loss of livelihoods people are suffering.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has donated more than GH¢1.3 million to his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in support of the party’s upcoming internal constituency executive elections.
According to a statement issued by the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, the donation was made on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
The statement indicated that all the 138 constituency offices of the NDC are expected to get GH¢10,000 each from the donation to support their executive elections.
“The former President of the Republic of Ghana and NDC flag-bearer for the 2020 Presidential Election, H.E John Dramani Mahama has today donated an amount of GHS10,000 to each of the 138 orphan constituencies of the party (a total of GHS1,380,000) to support the conduct of constituency elections coming off this weekend,” parts of the statement read.
The NDC said that it is grateful to the former president for his continuous support of the party.
According to businessghana.com, 11, 825 candidates across the country have filed their nominations to compete for constituency executive positions in the party.
The election is slated for Saturday, October 22, 2022 and Sunday, October 23, 2022.
Read the full statement issued by the party below:
JOHN MAHAMA DONATES GHS1,380,000 TO SUPPORT NDC CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS.
20/10/22
The former President of the Republic of Ghana and NDC flag-bearer for the 2020 Presidential Election, H.E John Dramani Mahama has today donated an amount of GHS10,000 to each of the 138 orphan constituencies of the party (a total of GHS1,380,000) to support the conduct of constituency elections coming off this weekend.
The party is most grateful to His Excellency for his continuous support for the great NDC.
Sammy Gyamfi Esq.
National Communications Officer.
In a Facebook post dated October 19, 2022, the outspoken lawmaker sarcastically listed nine major headaches the Country is currently facing and ‘attributed’ all of them to the doing of the NDC.
The issues ranged from the economic headwinds being faced, the stalled National Cathedral Project, recent booing incidents the president has suffered, even a rift with his former spiritual ally, Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah.
Referring to Akufo-Addo as ‘fellow Ghanaians’ – a term the president used to open his COVID-19 addresses, Sam George wrote: “‘Fellow Ghanaians’ is begging. He won’t call you Jeremiahs or Naysayers again.
“He promises not to carry his chair around. He promises not to promise again. Can you just stop ruling the Country from opposition? He says you are forcing him to play nonsense too much.”
The NINE NDC instigated challenges listed by the MP were:
a. Changing the exchange rates at the Forex Bureaus.
b. Booing Akufo-Addo at Global Citizens Concert. You booed him in Kumasi.
c. Made the IMF to review their stance on the problems of Ghana’s economy.
d. Halted the building of a Cathedral to the glory of Akufo-Addo.
e. Asked GUTA to close their shops.
f. Asked public transporters to seek a 40% rise in transport fares.
g. Made the cost of a litre of diesel today more expensive than a gallon in 2016.
h. You have even made his personal Prophet to abandon him.
Please stop changing the exchange rates at the Forex Bureaus. Fellow Ghanaians is at his wits end.
You booed him at Global Citizens Concert. You booed him in Kumasi. You have made the IMF to review their stance on the problems of Ghana’s economy. You have halted the building of a Cathedral to the glory of Akufo-Addo, sorry god.
You have asked GUTA to close their shops. You have asked public transporters to seek a 40% rise in transport fares. You have made the cost of a litre of diesel today more expensive than a gallon in 2016. You have even made his personal Prophet to abandon him.
‘Fellow Ghanaians’ is begging. He won’t call you Jeremiahs or Naysayers again. He promises not to carry his chair around. He promises not to promise again. Can you just stop ruling the Country from opposition? He says you are forcing him to play nonsense too much.
I just hope this appeal is not plagiarised. So help us GOD.
Supreme Court judge nominee, Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, has acknowledged that some Ghanaians have lost trust in the country’s justice delivery system.
Speaking during her vetting at Parliament on Tuesday, October 18, Justice Ackah-Yensu, who is currently an Appeals Court judge, however, noted that, the situation is not as bad as some persons are asserting.
The Supreme Court judge nominee made these remarks while answering a question on ex-President John Dramani Mahama’s view that Ghanaians have lost trust in the judiciary.
Ex-President Mahama, at a forum held for lawyers of the National Democratic Congress on August 28, lamented that the judiciary has a ‘broken image under the leadership of the current Chief Justice.
He said that Ghanaians have lost trust in the judiciary, owing to some of its unanimous decisions, a situation he explains as dangerous to the country’s democracy.
He stated that it would only take a new Chief Justice to chart a path to regaining public trust in the judiciary.
“There is therefore an urgent need for the Ghanaian judiciary to work to win the trust and confidence of the citizenry and erase the widely held perception of hostility and political bias in legal proceedings at the highest courts of the land.
“Unfortunately, we have no hope that the current leadership of our judiciary can lead such a process of change. We can only hope that a new Chief Justice will lead a process to repair the broken image that our judiciary has acquired over the last few years,” Mahama said.
But, Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu intimates that the former president’s view is wrong.
“I am aware of some loss in trust and confidence but from where I am sitting as a judicial officer, I can confidently say that it is not true, with all due respect, that generally, the populace is losing trust,” she said.
Supreme Court judge nominee, Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, has acknowledged that some Ghanaians have lost trust in the country’s justice delivery system.
Speaking during her vetting at Parliament on Tuesday, October 18, Justice Ackah-Yensu, who is currently an Appeals Court judge, however, noted that, the situation is not as bad as some persons are asserting.
The Supreme Court judge nominee made these remarks while answering a question on ex-President John Dramani Mahama’s view that Ghanaians have lost trust in the judiciary.
Ex-President Mahama, at a forum held for lawyers of the National Democratic Congress on August 28, lamented that the judiciary has a ‘broken image under the leadership of the current Chief Justice.
He said that Ghanaians have lost trust in the judiciary, owing to some of its unanimous decisions, a situation he explains as dangerous to the country’s democracy.
He stated that it would only take a new Chief Justice to chart a path to regaining public trust in the judiciary.
“There is therefore an urgent need for the Ghanaian judiciary to work to win the trust and confidence of the citizenry and erase the widely held perception of hostility and political bias in legal proceedings at the highest courts of the land.
“Unfortunately, we have no hope that the current leadership of our judiciary can lead such a process of change. We can only hope that a new Chief Justice will lead a process to repair the broken image that our judiciary has acquired over the last few years,” Mahama said.
But, Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu intimates that the former president’s view is wrong.
“I am aware of some loss in trust and confidence but from where I am sitting as a judicial officer, I can confidently say that it is not true, with all due respect, that generally, the populace is losing trust,” she said.
The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, says the National Chairman of the party, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo’s courage as a leader was tested during the violent Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
According to him, Mr Ofosu Ampofo’s announcement of the NDC’s withdrawal from that crucial by-election was an outright wrong move.
The Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election held in 2019 was marred by violence after National Security Operatives brutalized voters resulting in some having their legs broken and being admitted to the hospital.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo has said he arrived at the decision for the NDC to pull out based on the advice given by the party’s security experts, adding that both ex-President John Mahama and Asiedu Nketia were consulted before the decision was made public.
But Asiedu Nketiah in an interview on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV denied consenting to that decision.
“I was attending a conference in the Dominican Republic as the Vice President of Socialist International when Chairman Ofosu Ampofo called me saying that some vigilantes had fired gunshots all over the place and so he thinks the NDC should withdraw from the election. I told him don’t, it is a bad decision, and that he’ll set a bad precedent in the NDC. I told him with violence or not, the NDC will win so the party shouldn’t withdraw.”
He added: “Right after I was done with him, I received a call from ex-President Mahama telling me he’s picked up information that Ofosu Ampofo intends to announce the party’s withdrawal, it’s a bad move, tell him he shouldn’t do it. I told him I’d spoken to him (Ofosu Ampofo) not to do so. Shortly after, I saw news flashing of Ofosu Ampofo flanked by the party’s security capos announcing the NDC’s withdrawal from the election. One of the reasons he cited was that the NDC Parliamentary candidate is unable to step out of his room. So if the candidate is not able to come out, should the party withdraw from an election,” Asiedu Nketia asked.
Asked by the host, Bonohene Baffuor Awuah whether he sees Ofosu Ampofo as a weak leader, Asiedu Nketia responded: “his (Ofosu Ampofo) courage was tested at the battlefield and we all saw the results.”
“During the election in Jaman North and Banda, I was there at the forefront confronting security officers. The good thing about this is that when you are a leader and there’s any frightening situation where soldiers or police officers are intimidating people and the leader steps up and confronts the situation, your followers become empowered and also stand their ground. It is easy for foot soldiers to be attacked when the leadership abandons them,” Asiedu Nketia added.
The Deputy Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Godwin Ako Gunn, has urged aspirants and members to engage in an issue-based campaign and avoid campaigns that will slur people.
He said the call was necessary for a view of the fact that some supporters of aspirants are engaging in attacks on personality, which brings division after election and delays the healing process because the loser might have suffered character assassination.
“Our ability to hold ourselves together, campaign devoid of insults and personal attack, will let losers accept that they lost on fairgrounds and they will also join the main campaign’
“Most of the time, we spend too much time healing wounds and if that happens again, we may be hitting ourselves in the foot which may affect the fortune of the party at the 2024 polls,” Mr. Ako Gunn said.
Mr. Ako Gunn stated this at the launch of a welfare scheme and awards ceremony organised by the NDC Okaiman East Ward under the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency in Accra.
The theme of the ceremony was “Empowering the Grassroot, a driving force for Success in the 2024 Election”.
Mr. Ako Gunn said the 2024 election will be a choice between leadership that comes prepared and ready to lead from day one or a continuation of the current disastrous reality government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He charged the party faithful to remain united in rallying toward the success of the NDC at the 2024 general election.
“I want to call on all our party members in the various branches to exhibit more loyalty, dedication and commitment so that our party can be victorious in the 2024 general election,’’ Mr. Ako Gunn urged.
He further advised members not to deliberately demand access to the fund when they have no significant use of it. He encouraged other wards to emulate the leadership of Nii Okaiman East ward for introducing the welfare scheme that will cushion members.
The Ward Coordinator for Nii Okaiman East, Mr. Jerry Zodano, stated that the welfare scheme is to address challenges at the branches and to reduce over-dependency on the constituency.
He said the leadership at the ward has constituted a seven-member management board, formed from among members in order to ensure prudent management of the funds.
These officers, Mr. Zodano explained, would attend to the welfare of members, based on sets of regulations and guidelines developed.
The National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has reacted to taunts by New Patriotic Party followers after he was slapped with a GHȼ500,000 damages in a libel suit, by ridiculing the economic prowess of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in the face of the recent sharp depreciation of the Ghana Cedi.
Followers of the New Patriotic Party, especially fans of Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP for Manhyia South and Minister for Energy, have been trolling Sammy Gyamfi since Thursday when a court found him guilty of libel and imposed the damage, in addition to a GHȼ50,000 cost.
In a Facebook post on Friday however, the NDC spokesperson said the legal battle was far from over, and rather asked those taunting him to worry about the national economy instead.
Sammy Gyamfi asked of the whereabouts of the Veep and head of government’s economic management team, who he said has been paraded by his supporters as an ‘economic wizkid’.
He said that no amount of distractions would derail him.
“Knowing your long-standing hatred for me and your determination to see my downfall, I can understand the desperation on display.
“For your information, I remain focused, unshakable, impregnable and unbreakable. None of these things move me. Know this truth and stop wasting your time and data on me.
“The dollar has shattered the 8 and broken the 12. Where is your economic wizkid, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia now?”, portions of the post read.
The comments by Sammy Gyamfi also follow news of the Cedi’s further depreciation against the dollar on Friday.
The Ghana cedi breached the ¢12 to the dollar mark on Friday, October 14, 2022; selling at ¢12.10 at most forex bureaus or the retail market.
This development comes within a week after the cedi earlier depreciated against the dollar.
A visit by Joy Business to some forex bureaus indicates that most of the operators are selling the dollar for more than ¢12. They claim supply of dollars has reduced significantly.
Again, the cedi is losing grounds quickly against the pound and euro. Whilst a pound is going for about ¢12.70, one euro is selling at ¢11.10.
Within a week (October 10-October 14), the local currency has lost more than 6% value to the dollar. This means the year-to-date depreciation of the cedi is hovering around 46%.
By this rate of depreciation, the working capital of businesses, particularly manufacturers that depend on raw materials from overseas, have gone down by about 46% since January 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, scores of Ghanaians have taken to social media to bemoan the situation; urging government to take urgent steps to address the consistent depreciation of the country’s currency.
