Johnson Asiedu Nketia
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has exposed its searing hypocrisy as the government lifted the partial lockdown for people to move about freely in some parts of the country, albeit with greater precaution, as the fight against the deadly coronavirus continues unabated.
On Monday, for the first time in three weeks, the President allowed people to go about their businesses after the lockdown of the Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa to contain the coronavirus.
Before the ban was lifted, the leaders of the NDC were howling their fury against President Akufo-Addo, decrying in loud tones that his real intention was not to contain the spread of the viral disease, but to have a political advantage by putting his election rigging machinery in place.
Rigging Propaganda
The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who has not stopped hysterically raging about all things Akufo-Addo for the past three years, was incensed that the President’s decision to lock down some cities was a ploy to rig the December 7 elections.
“This whole announcement of emergency ban, emergency here, stopping this gathering, stopping that gathering, in my view, on the surface, it will appear to the world that the President is acting to deal with the COVID-19 and so on,” he posited.
He continued, “But the real intention is not to deal with COVID-19 at all. The real intention is to find space to put the pieces of the rigging equipment together so that by the time anybody could say jack, the election has been compromised,” Mr. Asiedu Nketia said on March 19, 2020.
COVID-19 Politics
But later, the opposition NDC Chief Scribe revealed the sinister motive behind the allegation of election rigging politics when there was a call to unite and fight the COVID-19 since the virus is no respecter of political colours or inclination.
“I really don’t understand this call not to politicize issues. Governance itself is politics and so there is no way to delink politics from governance matters, including the COVID-19.”
He added, “We (NDC) will not stop politicizing the issues until Nana Addo (President Akufo-Addo) and his appointees are tested and made public their results just as other leaders in the world are doing. They are all exposed to the virus.”
“The government cannot say our first case was recorded on March 12th. It is a palpable falsehood if the government claims so because evidence abounds that it was way back before that (in February),” he said on Neat FM on March 31.
Mahama Position
As if that was not enough, the NDC flagbearer, ex-President John Dramani Mahama, joined the party’s politicization train as he gleefully seized an opportunity to donate food items to some 20,000 persons who were unable to fend for themselves following the partial lockdown to attack the ruling government of neglecting the people.
According to him, the government was politicizing relief items for the vulnerable people and persons hit hard by the imposition of restrictions on movement by President Akufo-Addo, demanding an end to such attempts by state agents
The NDC Member of Parliament for Korle-Klottey, Dr. Zenator Rawlings, also echoed similar sentiments, and alleged that state actors demanded evidence of party affiliation before they gave out food to vulnerable people.
Later on, the Minority caucus in Parliament joined in the chorus with its Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed-Muntaka Mubarak, leading the onslaught against government.
Hypocritical Stunts
Shortly a day after the President announced the lifting of the ban on lockdown, the NDC again cried foul that the government’s decision was premature and lacked scientific basis in spite of the scientific advice given by health experts before deciding to lift the ban on movements of people.
The NDC Communication Director, Sammy Gyamfi, accused President Akufo-Addo of downplaying the coronavirus’ threat in order to make space for the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voter’s register for the 2020 general election.
“The lifting of the partial lockdown by President Akufo-Addo, at a time the country is witnessing astronomical increases in positive COVID-19 cases, particularly horizontal infections, is totally premature and lacks scientific basis,” he stressed.
NPP Obsession
For the NDC, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is more obsessed with the next election than the general good of Ghanaians and said the President’s decision is “a reckless political gamble that portends great danger for this nation.”
“Ghanaians must never forgive him if this unimaginable decision exacerbates our COVID-19 situation. The blame for any fatality that is occasioned by this reckless decision must lie squarely with the President,” Sammy Gyamfi indicated in a statement.
NDC MPs
In March when the COVID-19 was starting to gain foothold in Ghana, the NDC Minority in Parliament insisted on the Floor of the House that the Imposition of Restrictions Bill which was rushed for approval under the certificate of urgency was “the most egregious attack on our fundamental human rights and freedom since the inception of the 4th Republic. It is this type you would expect from dictators like Iddi Amin and President Bokasa of Central Africa Republic who ended up crowning himself Emperor.”
In April when the government lifted the lockdown restrictions, the NDC indicated that “the President lifting the ban on lockdown shows how lives do not matter to Akufo-Addo.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu