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The Founder of the Atta Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has chastised the Member of Parliament(MP) for Banda Constituency on the ticket of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ahmed Ibrahim for politicizing the 2021 population census.

The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, who is also the Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency, Ahmed Ibrahim believes the 2021 population census exercise is politically motivated to favour the ruling New Patriotic Party (NDC) in the 2024 general elections.

According to him, the exercise has been designed in such a way by the Akufo-Addo government to place certain communities in other jurisdictions considered to be the strongholds of the ruling NPP.

“The reason why they are embarking on 2021 population census is that they are doing it to create the 25 constituencies in the strongholds of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) before the 2024 general elections,” Ahmed Ibrahim posited.

Reacting to the allegation of the Banda lawmaker on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the former Deputy General Secretary of the opposition NDC wondered how such a national exercise necessary for planning and developmental purposes has been reduced to partisan politics.

He noted that the explanation given by the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kwabena Anim regarding the processes used to select the enumerators, is “sad” and “shameful” for the lawmaker to limit it to the usual NDC and NPP politics.

“This thing that we reduce everything in this country to NDC and NPP politics, the grassroots are getting upset about it . . . so, everything now is about politics, it is sad. Is that the kind of public education they are giving their constituents, that the census is about the creation of constituencies? That is the only reason why we want to know our numbers in the country?”, he chastised.

“Because for him, being in Parliament is the best thing that has happened to him and so everything is about Parliament . . . it is a shame. Is that the education he is giving his constituents?”, he chided.

He, however, indicated that the creation of constituencies is not something new as both the NDC and NPP have all created constituencies before; thus, it will not be the first time a government will be creating constituencies if there is the need for new ones.