The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has implored people in Zongos in the country not to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) because it is a party that discriminates against their kind.
“People from the UP [United Party] tradition are not our friends and such we should not be in bed with them. They are people the Zongo community cannot rely on… They are like lions, no matter what, they will not have good intentions for us,” he pronounced to NDC supporters in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Bqdl2Tcn3gkJsMQ43EsO5L4FpWWDz6ES”]Alhaji Dauda asserted that the NPP has a long history of discriminating against people living in Zongo communities and “if you allow the NPP to come to power again, they will exhibit this same character of discrimination.”
Sharing his experience, he recounted that, “In 2004, the NPP told me that I am a foreigner, I am a Mossi and that I am not a Ghanaian. They challenged my citizenship and even prevented me from voting. This case ended up at the court. The court cleared me to contest.”
“They were not happy with the court’s decision and filed for review at the Sunyani High Court. I was lucky that the then judge, Justice Mariama ruled in my favour,” he added.
‘We should let them know that we are not with them’
Alhaji Dauda further implored the Zongos to be wary of a perceived front of kindness shown by the NPP warning them that they had treated their kin like aliens in past times.
“These are same people who are begging for votes from the Zongo community. We should be very careful of these people. They treated our ancestors as aliens and today they are pretending to be our friends.”
“We are not like the animals who do not have emotions and remembrance. Because they have not liked us from the start, we should give them chance to even campaign to us. We should let them know that we are not with them.”
Ethnic and religious arguments ahead of 2016 polls
In April 2016, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Eric Opoku, suffered criticism from Muslims who belong to the NPP after he suggested that Muslims who support the opposition NPP, are not true to their religion.
Mr. Opoku said the Quran frowned on Muslims getting close to an Elephant which is the symbol of the NPP.
Quoting a chapter in the Quran, Mr. Opoku said any Muslim who associates with an elephant is not authentic.
I will be jailed if…
Former Transport Minister, Dzifa Attivor, also made headlines for perceived tribal comments after she pleaded with Voltarians not to vote for the opposition NPP with rhetoric doused in fear and ethnic sentiments.
With her role in the infamous Smarttys branding saga in mind she expressed fears that she and the current Minister of Transport, Fiifi Kwetey, would be jailed under an NPP government.
Mrs Attivor also asked the Voltarians to consider the works of NDC founder and former President Jerry Rawlings and vote massively for the NDC in the upcoming polls.
Muslim bias at the presidency
In May 2016, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate to the NPP flagbearer for the 2016 November elections, accused the presidency of being biased against Muslims in the country.
According to him, the current seat of government is occupied by persons who are from the Christian fraternity which to him does not create balance within the highest political positions in Ghana.
Dr. Bawumia’s argument was that because there are two dominant religious groups in the country, the President and his Veep ought not to be from the same religion.
–
By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana