NDC Divided! …Over Nana Addo’s Family, Friends Gov’t Tag

Key members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are divided over whether or not the Nana Akufo-Addo government is to blame for allegedly appointing some 51 friends and family members into public office.

So far three of the members of the party have varied views over what the NDC perceives to be a government ran by cronies and close associates of the president.

Addressing the press at a moment of truth series at the NDC headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, National Communications Officer for the party, Sammy Gyamfi said the President has appointed some 51 persons into office accusing him of running family and friends his government

The party went head to advocate the passing of what it describes as “The enactment of an anti-nepotism legislation to help check abuse of power in the advancement of the nepotistic agenda of President Akufo-Addo, his appointees and any unforeseen recurrence is long overdue in Ghana”.

But even as parliament could consider the passage of that law, two other high ranking members of the party have jumped to the defence of the president, throwing the accusations of Sammy Gyamfi out of gear.

Former Deputy General Secretary of the party, Koku Anyidoho questioned his party’s decision to politize President’s Akufo-Addo decision to appoint some 51 friends and family members into public office, wondering “if strangers should be the ones to govern Ghana”.

Speaking in an interview on Accra-based radio station, Kasapa FM, Mr Anyidoho rather urged his party to focus on good campaign messages ahead of the 2020 elections.

In his view, to be actively involved in discussing the politics of nepotism was counterproductive, adding that Ghana deserved better.

Mr Anyidoho spoke against the politicization of everything, noting that the appointment of friends and cronies wasn’t limited to Ghana.

“I keep telling people that what brought the NDC to power in 2008 is the “Better Ghana Agenda” Mr Anyidoho said.

To the NDC Stalwart who doubles as the founder of the Atta Mills Institute, the issue of nepotism under the fourth republic is a non-starter because both parties have fallen foul to nepotism in the past.

“If the two parties [NDC and NPP] keep going on the tangent to further extend the conversation on nepotism, then we may have to do a DNA test prior to making appointments.”

Mr Anyidoho is not the only person who appears to have given vociferous Sammy Gyamfi a bloody nose.

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the General Secretary of the has waded into the controversy confessing that all governments make ‘family and friend’ appointments only too add that that of the Akufo-Addo government is disproportionate.

According to General Mosquito, as he is popularly known, President Akufo-Addo is not the only president running a government full of relatives and cronies but the number of family and friends he superintends over are unprecedented.