Eastern Region NDC Accuses Akufo-Addo Of Putting Political Interest Above Health of Ghanaians

The opposition National Democratic Congress in the Eastern Region has accused President Akufo-Addo of placing his political interest above the common good, as it condemns the State’s lawsuit seeking to get the National Identification Authority to resume registrations for the Ghana Card amidst the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the regional branch of the opposition party pointed out that the Attorney General’s actions in court makes the Presidential directive against public gathering meaningless, asking the President to stop the AG in the interest of public health.

“The NDC leadership in the Eastern Region is, by this release, calling on the President to stop the NIA from continuing with the mass registration, and to order the Attorney General to withdraw the State’s defence filed against the injunction application until such time the country is able to contain this pandemic.

“Failure to do so will leave Ghanaians with no other option than to come to the firm conclusion that the President is obviously not interested in public safety of ordinary Ghanaians; and is only concerned about holding on to political power hence has encouraged his appointees to disregard his own directives,” a statement signed by Cudjoe Adukpo, Eastern Regional Secretary of the NDC said.

The statement is coming as an adlib to public shock and protest that has greeted the Attorney General’s action in court seeking get the High Court to dismiss a case demanding that the NIA be stopped from continuing with registration of people for Ghana Card amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

NIA had continued with the registration even as the infections were spiralling in Ghana leading institutions, including the Ghana Medical Association, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the National Union of Ghana Students demanding a stoppage of the registration in the interest of public health.

Later two other people from the Eastern Region where the NIA was carrying out the registrations went to court to ask that the NIA be forced to abandon the registration in the interest of public health.

 “It is obvious from the aforementioned that the President is forcefully pushing through this NIA mass registration in the Eastern Region, which happens to be his home region, only for electoral value at the expense of the risk of exposure of the people in the region to the deadly COVID-19.

“In fact, Nana Akufo-Addo by this action has placed his wishful re-election far and above the nation’s interest, at this time when COVID-19 is seriously wrecking our nation,” the statement from Eastern Region NDC said.