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Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a member of the ruling NPP, has cautioned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to stop playing politics with the Security Service.

The NDC has accused some security officials of intimidation at some voters’ registration centres.

This comes on the back of a video gone viral on social media where the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia is seen arguing with military officers.

But Gabby Otchere-Darko has debunked claims that the NPP is trying to intimidate NDC members and supporters.

To him, it is rather the opposition party that is fanning ethnocentric sentiments and therefore warned them to refrain from such behavior.

“4th Republican politics has always been about each of the two main parties trying their hardest, against the odds, to “police” the ballot in the other’s stronghold. Yet, when the NDC in Govt uses the security forces and macho men to “protect” the process in Ashanti Region, for example, they are never accused of a deliberate, concerted “tribal” attack against Asanteman or Ashantis. The NPP makes a conscious effort to protect the integrity of nationhood. The issue is not stretched to ignite and explode ethnocentrism for partisan gain. 

“Remember when NDC in the office used force and violence to prevent “Akans” based in the area from registering in Odododiodio? The NPP, under Akufo-Addo, did not accuse the NDC of being anti-Akan, asking Akans to rise up against the ruling party. The NPP leadership took a responsible decision not to exploit the situation ethnocentrically,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Read the full statement below:

4th Republican politics has always been about each of the two main parties trying their hardest, against the odds, to “police” the ballot in the other’s stronghold. Yet, when the NDC in Govt uses the security forces and macho men to “protect” the process in Ashanti Region, for example, they are never accused of a deliberate, concerted “tribal” attack against Asanteman or Ashantis.

The NPP makes a conscious effort to protect the integrity of nationhood. The issue is not stretched to ignite and explode ethnocentrism for partisan gain. 

Remember when NDC in the office used force and violence to prevent “Akans” based in the area from registering in Odododiodio? The NPP, under Akufo-Addo did not accuse the NDC of being anti-Akan, asking Akans to rise up against the ruling party. The NPP leadership took a responsible decision not to exploit the situation ethnocentrically. 

Indeed when one NPP MP, in understandable anger and frustration, asked provocatively what would happen if NPP employed the same discriminatory tactics against non-Akans and attacked them in Kumasi, the NPP party issued a statement to condemn it; the police, under an NDC administration, arrested the NPP MP, locked him up and ill-advisedly charged him with treason. 

For the NPP party then, the focus was more on the NDC parliamentary candidate and his gang who were terrorizing Akan voters from registering in Odododiodio than using it to turn one region against another or one ethnic group against the other. Think about it. Please do...