Stay off Ghana polls: Nana to Togolese

Presidential candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, has implored the people of Togo to stay clear of Ghana’s 7 December presidential and parliamentary polls.

Speaking to party supporters in Aflao in the Volta Region, which shares borders with Togo, Mr Akufo-Addo, who speaks very fluent French, told citizens of the francophone West African country that they can support Ghana’s democratic process by staying away from Ghana’s elections.

The NPP has always accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) whose stronghold is the Volta Region, of constantly smuggling Togolese into Ghana’s jurisdiction to vote during elections.

The people of the Volta Region share a common language (Ewe) with the Togo while a lot of Ewe-speaking Ghanaians also crisscross the border for daily business activities. Some of them too have families on either side of the border. It is, therefore, difficult to distinguish between a Togolese and a Ghanaian from that part of the country. The situation has, thus, given rise to intense suspicion between the NDC and the NPP, especially in every election year and 2016 has not been any different.

Earlier this year, the vice-presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said Ghana’s electoral roll was contained the names of about 76,000 Togolese smuggled into the country by the NDC to register as Ghanaians so they could take part in the elections. The NDC has constantly demanded evidence from Dr Bawumia in connection with that allegation.

Source:otecfm102.9,Kumasi.