The Sehwi Akontombra District Tertiary Students Association has strongly condemned what it describes as divisive and tribalistic remarks made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the area.
The candidate, Pious Nkuah, allegedly urged residents to reject the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Alex Tetteh, on the basis that he is not a native of Sehwi.
At a press conference, the Association expressed its dismay over the comments, calling them highly inappropriate, backward, and detrimental to the unity and progress of Sehwi Akontombra.
The Association emphasized that such utterances have no place in a modern democracy and only serve to sow seeds of division among the people.
The president of the association, Adjei Erzuah, indicated that the focus of parliamentary elections should be on the competence, vision, and policies of candidates, not their place of origin.
He said the student body in the district rejects any attempt to reduce the choice of leadership to tribal and parochial considerations. Such comments undermine the principles of inclusivity and democracy that our nation stands for.
He further called on political actors to prioritize issue-based campaigns that address the development needs of Sehwi Akontombra rather than resorting to tribal sentiments.
The Sehwi Akontombra District Tertiary Students Association concluded its statement by calling on residents of the constituency to evaluate candidates based on their plans and contributions to the area.
They also called on the NDC parliamentary candidate to render an unqualified apology to the people of Akontombra for his comments.