The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has kicked against the introduction of partisanship into Ghana’s local governance system.
The party has, therefore, charged electorates to vote ‘NO’ in the referendum slated for December 17, 2019, to ensure that the local government system remained non-partisan.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said his party did not subscribe to what he called “poisoning the political atmosphere at the local level”.
He explained that voting ‘Yes’ would politicise the local governance system against the entrenched clause in Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution.
Mr Ampofo said he was certain that if the electorate voted YES, “the needless NDC-NPP polarization” at the national level will be extended to the District Assemblies and Unit Committee levels”.
“The local government system should remain non-partisan and that individuals contest the District Assembly and Unit Committee elections on their own merit,” the NDC Chairman stressed.
He, however, said the party supported the elections of Municipal and District Chief Executives as proposed by the Akufo-Addo government.
“We of the NDC believe that all our towns and villages should have one communal Labour Day and one market and we can only achieve this by voting ‘NO’,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
The NDC Chairman stressed that Ghana was not ready for the introduction of fully blown partisan politics at the local government level, adding that a ‘Yes’ vote would have dire consequences including; increase in corruption.