Attivor condemnation ‘premature’ – Akamba

The avalanche of condemnations unfurled at former Transport Minister Dzifa Attivor over her recent tribal comments is “premature”, Joshua Akamba, Deputy Organiser of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) said.

He told Emefa Apawu of Class FM’s 505 news programme on Wednesday April 27 that the NDC as a party will neither condemn nor applaud Mrs Attivor for expressing fears that a future government of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) will imprison NDC members of Ewe extraction.

At a recent NDC rally in the Volta Region, the party’s stronghold, Mrs Attivor, who resigned a couple of months ago in connection with an overpriced bus branding scandal, told party members to ensure the NPP does not return to power, otherwise an Akufo-Addo government will embark on a jailing spree of Ewes just as former President John Kufuor did during his tenure, citing the imprisonment of former government officials Victor Selormey and Dan Abodakpi to buttress her point.

The comment has been widely condemned by former President John Rawlings, the National Peace Council, the NDC’s Volta regional arm and the NPP, as well as by Ghanaians on social media.

Mr Rawlings said in a statement issued Wednesday April 27 that: “My attention has been drawn to a statement made by a former Minister for Transport, Dzifa Attivor at a political event at Wodoaba in the Volta Region. I find it distasteful that aside [from] making ethnocentric references accusing the NPP presidential candidate of being tribalistic, she also insinuated that because I was the Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the electorate in the Volta Region should vote for the party on that basis.

“Before making such unfortunate statements, let’s remove the logs in our own eyes,” Mr Rawlings said.

He added: “I do not subscribe to the politics of ethnic bias and never have. As we draw closer to the next presidential and parliamentary elections, we all as Ghanaians expect ALL PARTIES involved in the process to base their arguments and campaign rhetoric on the truth and desist from emotional and non-factual statements, especially where my name has to be mentioned.

“I implore the electorate not to allow immature behaviour and pronouncements to cloud their judgement.”

The Peace Council’s Chairman Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante said the comment was divisive and uncalled for. The flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Greenstreet said he least expected such a comment from Mrs Attivor and asked her to retract it. The NPP has demanded an apology from Mrs Attivor saying the comment was unpalatable. The Volta regional arm of the NDC has also condemned the statement. However, Mr Akamba said the condemnations are coming too soon.