Koku Anyidoho Slams IEA, “Stop Practicing Civil Society Dictatorship”

How can Jean Mensah abuse a State Institution like the NCCE and expect us to participate in the IEA’s debate when the NDC is a socialist oriented party that believes in building State Institutions? We will rather support the NCCE to build its capacity than support the building of the so-called capacity of the IEA to continue to collapse State Institutions,” Deputy General Secretary of the NDC Koku Anyidoho, has said.

He was commenting on Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA’s) response to its criticism for failing to consult the two main political parties before announcing its plan to organize a special debate ahead of the November 7 polls for the candidates of the two main political parties, President John Mahama and Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo.
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The IEA in an interview on Accra-based JOY FM cast doubt on the National Commission for Civic Education, NCCE’s capacity to organize a similar exercise.

IEA’s Executive Director, Mrs. Jean Mensa told host of the Programme, Kojo Yankson, “NCCE as a “government agency” does not have the credibility to organize such sensitive exercise because they have not been ‘tried and tested’ in that area”.

But the NDC deputy Chief Scribe described the comment as unacceptable and unfortunate. He said the IEA cannot force the NDC into any debate because it is not a state institution, has no constitutional mandate and their arrogance as he put it, will not be countenanced.

Mr. Anyidoho told the Gazette newspaper /Ghanapoliticsonline. Come that the IEA should rather force NPP’s Vice Presidential candidate, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia and the NPP to produce the other so-called registers the party promised to bring from Burkina, Mali, Benin and Ivory Coast to support their false claim about the voters register.
Ghanapoliticsonline. Com

He also wants the IEA to condemn the violence in the NPP and the party’s decision to bring South African mercenaries into Ghana to train what he described as NPP hoodlums in Bomb throwing

“We refused to participate in their pro-NPP agenda in relation to the Voters Register issue; and we will ignore their arrogance again if we so wish. Jean Mensah and the IEA should stop trying to usurp the authority and mandate of state institutions such as the Electoral Commission and the NCCE.

“Even the EC, which has a constitutional mandate to function and is funded by the tax payer, has the presence of mind to form IPAC to build consensus. How can IEA force NDC into a debate? Is IEA practising Civil Society Dictatorship?” the NDC Deputy General Secretary asked.

Not only the ruling NDC and the opposition NPP are livid at the IEA for not engaging them before the announcement was made. The other parties, including the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), are also not happy with the structure of the impending debate.

Founder of the PPP, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom simply said it is “weakening democracy”.

Nana Akomea, Director of Communications of the largest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), also indicated that political parties have a very tight schedule ahead of the elections and that the Institute for Economic Affairs must fast track its plan and make its timetable clear in advance.