The Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, has described as laudable, the decision to put on hold the referendum which was slated for December 17.
According to him, one could see clearly that Ghanaians were politicising the referendum and “I think this is not the way to go”.
Most Rev. Prof. Asante, who said this in an interview with Graphic Online in Accra on Tuesday [December 3, 2019], noted that changing an entrenched article in the constitution called for consensus and the way the issue was being politicised made it difficult to get that consensus.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, last Sunday, called off the referendum slated for December 17, this year, saying there was lack of broad, national consensus among key stakeholders and the populace.
He consequently instructed the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, who was spearheading the process on behalf of the government, to abort the process and see to the withdrawal of the bills for the amendment of the Constitution, both in respect of articles 243(1) and 55(3).
Most Rev. Prof. Asante said when it came to the issue of the referendum, there would be definitely Yes and No votes but that should not be done along political lines.
He said there was no need for political parties to banter over the issue but look at it carefully and see whether there was a need for it.
Source:Fiilafmonline/Graphic
