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NDC pressure group, Young Cadres is claiming the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is so bent on winning the November 7 election, that it sees nothing wrong with "playing the religious card and inciting hatred against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the government".

The group’s national coordinator, Richard Y Dery noted that, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s recent religious comment is a strategy the NPP has already employed for their campaign ahead of the elections – “Bawumia just exposed their plans.

NPP’s running mate Dr. Bawumia over the weekend stirred controversy when he implicitly indicted the presidency of a lack of religious imbalance.

While addressing party supporters last week at a village in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region, Dr. Bawumia, vice presidential candidate of the NPP, said the Flagstaff House - the seat of Ghana’s Presidency - does not reflect the people of Ghana in terms of religion.

However, in a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, the pro-government group described Dr Bawumia's remarks as "his biggest political faux pax ever since he was offered the unenviable role as a vice-presidential candidate".

Attributing his religious imbalance remarks to the actions of an inexperienced politician, the Young Cadres said pardoning a "political neophyte" like the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana for "such blunders" would have been in order; but quickly queried "who wants political experimentation led by two untested desperados at this stage in our nation’s journey?"

"Ideally, one would want to pardon such a fine gentleman for such blunders because he is a political neophyte and lacks the experience in politics. But this is exactly the reason why Ghanaians should condemn and reject the NPP because now it is obvious that should the nation make the mistake of voting the party into power, we will not only be engaging in a trial and error experimentation with Nana Akufo Addo who has been calling on Ghanaians to try him, but we will be trying his vice as well. Who wants political experimentation led by two untested desperados at this stage in our nation’s journey?

The group entreated the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the NPP to, "as a matter of urgency, come out to clearly apologize to the good people of Ghana and to promise not to tow that line again."

"He must also pledge to desist from using religion as a tool for campaigning in the upcoming elections. Failure to do this will confirm everyone’s suspicion that the NPP is a bunch of religious and ethnic bigots who do not see the unity of Ghana as their primary responsibility," the statement read.


Read Below full statement

It has become patently clear that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is bent on winning power ‘at all cost’ even if it means playing the religious card and inciting hatred against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the government.

In what is, undoubtedly, his biggest political faux pax ever since he was offered the unenviable role as a vice-presidential candidate to his perennial loser presidential candidate, Nana Akufo Addo, Dr Bawumia has been heard on tape during a campaign trip calling for his audience to, in effect, vote for the NPP because of the Christian-Muslim ticket they present.

Ideally, one would want to pardon such a fine gentleman for such blunders because he is a political neophyte and lacks the experience in politics. But this is exactly the reason why Ghanaians should condemn and reject the NPP because now it is obvious that should the nation make the mistake of voting the party into power, we will not only be engaging in a trial and error experimentation with Nana Akufo Addo who has been calling on Ghanaians to try him, but we will be trying his vice as well. Who wants political experimentation led by two untested desperados at this stage in our nation’s journey?

Dr Bawumia, apart from his misleading and often flawed analysis of the nation’s economy, has failed to apprise himself with some of the fundamental and critical stipulations of Ghana’s constitution even though he wants to become the Vice President of our dear nation!

The framers of the nation’s constitution in their wisdom enjoined the citizenry to desist from using religion in the determination of political power or as a tool in who leads our nation knowing the potentially dangerous repercussions that religion could hold for the unity of the nation.

Ghana has come very far in its democratic experimentation and the least anyone expects from such frontline politicians like Dr Bawumia is this outrageous and treacherous claim that the Flagstaff House is skewed in favour of Christians and thus there was the need to vote for the NPP which he claims presents a more balanced choice for the Presidency in the persons of himself and Nana Akufo Addo.

Bereft and deficient of ideas and lacking any serious message for Ghanaians towards the upcoming elections apart from their “Try me” message, the NPP does not seem minded of the dangerous geographical region Ghana finds itself – a region where religious strifes abound.

In countries like the Central African Republic, the world is a witness to the destruction religion has wrought on the people.

Not quite far from our shores in Nigeria, the Boko Haram terrorist group have been waging a war inspired principally by religion. The situation in Nigeria is not anything any well-meaning citizen of Ghana, including Dr Bawumia, should be craving for.

The NDC, more than any other political tradition in Ghana’s history, has done exceedingly well in advancing the course of Muslims. It is thus not surprising that the party draws a good percentage of its support from the Muslim population more than the NPP.

The NDC government has some of the most sensitive positions being occupied by Muslims because the party does not see the Christian-Muslim divide – it sees Ghanaians first! The NDC will continue to nurture political integration of all people from all walks of life.

We the members of the Young Cadres Association of the NDC would want to call on Dr Bawumia to, as a matter of urgency, come out to clearly apologize to the good people of Ghana and to promise not to tow that line again. He must also pledge to desist from using religion as a tool for campaigning in the upcoming elections.

Failure to do this will confirm everyone’s suspicion that the NPP is a bunch of religious and ethnic bigots who do not see the unity of Ghana as their primary responsibility.

Signed:

Richard Y Dery

Dep. National Coordinator (0248660103)
Young Cadres Association