The Ashanti Regional secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kwame Zu, has reminded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that Ghanaians are suffering under their administration.

Delivering the NDC’s solidarity message during the NPP’s national delegates conference in Kumasi on Sunday, December 19, the Ashanti Regional secretary of the NDC stated that “teachers are suffering, doctors are suffering, market women are suffering”.

As such, Mr. Zu urged the President to reconsider the proposed e-levy in the 2022 budget because in his view, it will worsen the plight of Ghanaians.

“This is not the time for the set of draconian set of taxes. Reconsider your decision to impose the 1.75 per cent el-levy”.
Mr. Zu

Contrary to the view of the NDC, the National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay stated during the event that the incumbent NPP government is the best to manage the Ghanaian economy.

To that end, Mr. Blay called on the party to remain united ahead of the next general elections in order to continue staying in power to deliver good governance to Ghanaians.

“We have to remain united so that at the end of the four years the people will vote for us or whoever represents in the 2024 elections.”
Mr. Blay

Mr. Blay highlighting the strength of the major opposition, NDC, noted that his party is in a contest with a formidable opposition party that is ready to take advantage of their weaknesses. Consequently, he tasked the NPP to remain united and eschew arrogance in order to withstand the opposition party, the NDC.

Freddie Blay noted at the national delegates conference in Kumasi today that “if we keep the base, come 2024 we shall still retain power”.

Return confiscated assets after 1966 coup

On its part, the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to facilitate the returning of all the properties belonging to the CPP that were confiscated after the coup d’état on February 24, 1966.

Nana Yaa Januah, General Secretary of the CPP made the appeal on behalf of the party during the national delegates conference of the NPP in Kumasi on Sunday, December 19, 2021.

The CPP had always made efforts to retrieve its assets from the state. Last year, a leading member of the CPP, Mr. Ladi Nylander, also made the appeal at the commemoration of the 44th anniversary of the February 24, 1966 coup d’etat, that their assets should be handed over to them.

Mr. Nylander said the country needed to review its mineral and mining laws to make the extractive regime more beneficial to the country and Ghanaians, as well as institute monitoring systems, encouraging enough to facilitate the efforts of patriotic Ghanaians.

“When will government finally do something about this? We have to ask when initiatives and advantages would be given to Ghanaians in the land of their birth.

“Fifty-three years after independence we have no excuse to offer for being in this predicament. This is time to stop the slide into economic subjugation. It is about time we recaptured control over our natural resources”.
Mr. Nylander

According to him, the government’s focus should be to ensure maximum benefits for Ghanaians in the extractive industry, most importantly in the emerging oil and gas sector.