Refusal to criticize Akufo-Addo led to my suspension - Allotey Jacobs speaks

Suspended former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs says the beginning of his hatred in his party started when he refused to criticize President Akufo-Addo’s free Senior High School policy.

According to him, he hit hard at the Akufo-Addo government when the free Senior High School policy was implemented as it has always been the position of the NDC, but upon reflection of the benefit that many children have received from the policy he had a different thought.

Free SHS ‘fight’

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the ‘Educated Fisherman’ as he is popularly called explained that his decision to discourage his party from criticizing the free SHS policy is based on the fact that the larger population of children who have benefitted from the Free SHS policy will reach their voting age by 2020 and that can spell doom for the NDC should they come to the realisation that the party criticised the policy they benefitted from.

He added that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) mistook his good counsel to be praise-singing of the Akufo-Addo government.

“When Akufo-Addo's government implemented the free SHS policy, I was one of the first critiques against the free SHS, but you know something . . . if you start attending radio programmes, the way you talk and carry yourself, it makes you endear yourself to a lot of people who belong to both NDC and NPP, so the moment you criticise something of the government, you get people calling you to tell you how they have benefitted from what you are criticizing," he said.

He stressed that criticizing a new government that is doing something good like the implementation of the Free SHS policy was not going to help the cause of the NDC during the campaign time, hence, his decision to stop criticizing the Free SHS Policy.

“If there is a new government in place and it is doing something that is good, it benefits some people, so you don’t need to go, drag in and criticise it so seriously. If you do that, at the end of the day when the campaign starts, then the people will look at you with different eyes," he stressed.

Coronavirus fight measures

Touching on another issue that increased his hatred in the NDC, Allotey Jacobs averred that his party [NDC] felt his advice for the NDC to allow the Akufo-Addo government to carry its excellent measures in the fight against the COVID-19 was also wrong.

“If you look at the COVID-19, what the government is doing is excellent. Let them manage the COVID-19 to the end of the crisis then we can come to do our usual political campaign . . . and again my people are saying that I have criticised the party," he explained.

Allotey Jacobs was of the view that his suspension from the NDC is borne out of these issues, adding that he meant well for the NDC as the party prepares for the 2020 general election.

NDC Suspends Allotey Jacobs

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has yielded to the pressure of party activists to suspend one of its top members, Bernard Allotey Jacobs.

Mr Allotey Jacobs was the party’s immediate past Central regional chairman.

A statement purportedly signed by the NDC’s national chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, on May 6, 2020, said Mr Allotey Jacobs was suspended pursuant to Article 46 (1) and 46 (6) and 46 (8) (b) of the Party’s constitution.

The statement says his suspension was based on what it termed "persistent anti-party conduct,” indicating that the decision to suspend him was taken at a National Executive Meeting held on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.