Gbande,
Deputy
General
Secretary
for
NDC
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The
Deputy
General
Secretary
of
the
National
Democratic
Congress
(NDC),
Mustapha
Gbande
has
urged
the
Manhyia
Palace
to
distance
itself
from
attempts
by
the
New
Patriotic
Party
(NPP)
to
involve
it
in
partisan
politics.
He
said
failing
to
do
so
could
lead
to
disaffection
from
Ghanaians.
According
to
Gbande,
Manhyia
has
been
revered
by
Ghanaians
for
centuries
due
to
its
neutral
stance
in
politics.
However,
with
the
nomination
of
one
of
its
royals,
Matthew
Opoku
Prempeh,
as
running
mate
to
the
NPP’s
flagbearer
Dr.
Mahamudu
Bawumia,
he
argues
that
the
NPP
is
subtly
trying
to
drag
the
respected
Palace
into
partisan
politics.
Gbande
stated
in
a
press
release,
“It’s
important
that
although
Matthew
Opoku
hails
from
the
palace,
the
issue
at
hand
is
politics,
not
chieftaincy
or
royalty.
My
concern
is
that
if
Manhyia
does
not
disassociate
its
name
and
image
from
the
NPP’s
plan
to
politicize
it
and
use
it
to
influence
voting,
people
will
begin
to
doubt
its
credibility.
Eventually,
Manhyia
will
lose
the
support,
respect,
and
love
it
has
earned
from
Ghanaians.”
He
added,
“We
cannot
allow
our
politics
to
revolve
around
the
Manhyia
Palace
and
the
rest
of
Ghana.
Not
every
Ashanti
is
in
the
NPP,
and
not
every
NPP
member
in
the
Ashanti
Region
supports
how
the
current
government
has
used
the
party
for
wrong
reasons.”
Gbande
emphasized
that
the
NPP
must
be
held
accountable
for
the
poor
management
of
the
economy,
not
Manhyia.
“Today,
do
we
blame
the
worsening
economy
and
the
suffering
of
Ghanaians
on
the
Manhyia
Palace
and
the
Ashantis?
No,
because
it
is
individuals
from
the
NPP
who
are
running
the
country.
Let
us
hold
the
NPP
responsible
and
keep
Manhyia
out
of
politics.”
He
concluded,
“If
we
don’t
do
this,
Manhyia
will
begin
to
lose
the
love
and
respect
of
its
own
members,
because
people
in
the
Ashanti
Region
are
unhappy
with
how
Akufo-Addo
has
managed
the
country.”
Despite
these
concerns,
Gbande
remains
hopeful
that
Otumfuo
Osei
Tutu
II
will
act
to
protect
the
neutrality
of
Manhyia.
“I
believe
that
Otumfuo
will
be
mindful
of
the
public
concerns
regarding
this
issue,”
he
said.
Reacting
to
the
substance
of
NAPO’s
nomination,
Mr.
Gbande,
insists
Dr.
Matthew
Opoku
Prempeh
does
not
add
anything
significant
to
the
NPP
ticket,
which
he
believes
is
already
not
a
winning
one.