NDC Chases Out NPP In 'One Ghana' Demo

Some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who joined an anti-ethnic march organized by an ad hoc Coalition for the Defence of Equal Citizenship (CODEC) grouping in Accra yesterday, suffered unspeakable ordeal at the hands of National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters.

Although the march was ostensibly organized to protest the rising ethnocentric tendencies creeping into local politics, elements of the NPP who joined the march dubbed, 'One Ghana Demo,' were eventually precluded from continuing their participation by NDC members who destroyed some of their (NPP protesters') placards.

Some of them managed to make it to the finishing line though.

Also bearing placards which condemned tribal-laced remarks by politicians across the political divide, the NPP members insisted on marching, albeit they were confronted with challenges.

The contents of the placards which the protesters bore during the march were largely contrasting. While pro-NDC elements' read among others, 'Stop tribal politics,' 'Unity in Diversity,' 'Ghana Belongs to All of Us,''No Rwanda In Ghana,' and 'Stop Tribal Politics,' those borne by their NPP counterparts and which survived the destruction, read among others, 'Don't Repeat Odododiodoo,' 'Reject 'I am A Northerner Vote For Me'' and 'Reject 'No Muslim Can Become A President.''

What should have been a protest march against ethnocentricism therefore turned out to be one in which both leading parties subtly showcased what each of them had against each other.

The NDC elements centred their inscriptions largely on what Osafo-Maafo reportedly said, but which he claimed was doctored for political mileage.

The 'Don't Repeat Odododiodoo' was a reference to the ethnocentric incident which played out in Accra when elements believed to be NDC sympathizers walked the streets of Accra wielding cutlasses and other weapons in the heady days of the voter registration exercise towards the 2012 elections in which Nii Lantey Vanderpuye reportedly stopped non-Gas from being registered in that part of the city.

The 'Reject 'No Muslim Can Become President'' referred to Fiifi Kwetey's (the current Agriculture Minister's) remarks made in 2007 and the 'I am A Northerner Vote for Me' is reported to have been said by President John Mahama when he was campaigning in 2012 in the north.

Communications Director of the NPP, Nana Akomea, told DAILY GUIDE that they joined the march because of their aversion to tribal remarks which some politicians in the country have been accused of making.

He said they joined in the march to focus on the importance of peace in the country.

Regardless of the setbacks, Dominic Nitiwul, Deputy Minority Leader, said he was happy that CODEC had provided a common platform for all political parties to demonstrate their love for peace and tolerance, adding that the NPP embraces any move that ensures good governance as well as protects the peace of the people.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Okudzeto Ablakwa said, 'As a people we are committed to the ideals of peaceful coexistence.'

The convener of CODEC, Godwin Tamakloe, said the march sought to encourage Ghanaians to uphold the spirit of togetherness – a hallmark of the citizens of Ghana.

The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, was happy that the demonstrators comported themselves.

BY A.R. Gomda & Solomon Ofori