Kufuor must apologize - NDC

A member of the Communications Team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wants former President John Agyekum Kufuor to render an unqualified apology to the Electoral Commission (EC) for slamming the electoral body in its quest to create 45 additional constituencies.

Agbesi Nutsu considers the former president’s verbal attack on the EC a couple of days as unfair and hypocritical of the NPP statesman.

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, during the formal launch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP’s) national campaign for election 2012, openly expressed disapproval with the EC's intention to create 45 new constituencies with just three months to the December polls.

He described the move by the EC as “not sensible” and appealed to the electoral body to halt the process so as to maintain the peace and unity currently prevailing in the country.

But Mr. Nutsu sees the former president as exhibiting hypocrisy saying he (Kufuor) once superintended over the formation of 30 new constituencies by the same EC during his tenure in office, and therefore has no business criticizing the EC over a similar decision.

Making his submission as a panelist on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Agbesi Nutsu was of the firm belief that Mr Kufuor had not been fair to the EC in his pronouncements.

“President Kufuor has not been very fair to the EC. It was the same caliber of people who were there when they created the 30 constituencies when he was in office. Now they say the difference is the time factor? I think he should render an apology to the EC…,” he said.

However, Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, who was also on the panel, strongly disagreed.

To him, the former President was only cautioning the EC to think twice in its rush to form 45 additional constituencies.

Mr Baako posited that even though he admires the EC for the work they have done in the past and are doing, he still considers the creation of the 45 new constituencies with some three months to go for a general election as too hasty a decision.

“The man raised a note of caution and he is right to do so because he does not understand why the EC is in such a hurry…Some of the things are not tidy and does not just add up. This is the first time it seems like this exercise (creation of constituencies) has become so untidy so we should ask ourselves why. That was where President Kufuor was coming from. I think rather he was showing more commitment for the integrity of our election to remain intact. Kufuor spoke for peace and stability…,” the newspaper editor said.