Politicization of National Population and Housing Census in the North East Region will compromise validity of data – Imoro Abdul-Razak

Every Ten years, since 1981 Ghana conducts Population and Housing Census, the very last Population and Housing Census (PHC) was conducted in 2010 under Late President Mills. For the avoidance of doubt no PHC in the Nation’s history has been awfully politicized in every shape and form like the 2021 PHC.

Besides this awfully and distasteful politicization has accompanied several threats on the Jobs and in other instances lives of Regional and District Census Officers and field Supervisors. As revealed by these officers the reasons for this open show of political power, threats and victimization is simply to get out District Census Officers and Field Supervisors who are perceived not to belong to the ruling NPP, or who are refusing to recruit NPP footsoldiers as field Supervisors and Enumerators and finally those who refused to kowtow to the dictates of Political appointees, Regional and Constituency NPP Executives.

BACKGROUND

1. East Mamprusi Municipality

Matters arising; It has been brought to our notice the pressure bearing on the Regional Census Officer by The North East Regional Minister to sack a caterer who legally got a job to provide catering services for trainers and trainees of the Population and Housing Census, just for the fact that she is a wife of a former DCE under the NDC. Accordingly the need to replace her with the wife of the minister.

2. West Mamprusi Municipality
   In the West Mamprusi Municipality, one Ali Iliasu the District Census Officer is being prevailed upon by the Regional Minister, MCE and NPP constituency Chairman to resign or at all cost recruit a list of 215 NPP footsoldiers put on his desk. The modus operandi of the NPP is to completely get rid off Ali Iliasu on grounds that he is an NDC and replace with him one Abubakari Jaliu who is an NPP member. This ugly behavior of the Regional Minister, MCE and Party Chairman excited hirelings of the NPP to continuously issue threats to some officers perceived to be NDC. These said Officers have gone ahead to report the the attacks on them by the Regional Minister, MCE and Party Chairman to the chief of Wungu Traditional Area (Wungu) on grounds of their personal security.
3. Chereponi District; The NDC is aware of the Rambo style attack of the training center by the NPP Regional Vice Chairman and constituency Chairman demanding for the removal of persons who are NDC or sympathetic to the NDC. Same happenings have been reported in Bunkpurugu/Nakpanduri, Mamprugu-Moaduri and Yunyoo- Nansuan.

On the whole we’re calling on all persons who are being harassed by Appointees and Party Executives of the NPP to stay strong and report any issue of threats and attacks to the appropriate quarters, we are further appealing to you to come with us and if this issue of harassment persist the NDC on the day of deployment of Enumerators to the field will address it’s members and the press the way forward.

In conclusion we’re reminding the NPP and it’s apparatchiks that it’s a complete dejavu to assume that the PHC as a National Exercise will be a success without the full cooperation and participation of the NDC. We’re therefore calling on the Vice President to call his appointees and party men on mission of distraction and disunity to order. The NDC sheer participation and cooperation birthed the Six Regions without issues, caution is hereby served.

Thank You!

Imoro Abdul-Razak
Regional Communication Officer.
North East Region
0245371809