Hajj board heavily politicized - Akufo-Addo

The flagbearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, has said the Hajj Board in its current state, is “heavily politicized.”

Speaking to the Zongo community in Tarkwa as part of his five-day tour of the Western region, the three-time flagbearer said he will depoliticise the Hajj Board, which is in charge of organizing the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, should he win the December polls.

Responding to claims made by the spokesperson for the Council of Zongo Chiefs and Imams, Mallam Somed, that there is discrimination by government in the selection of pilgrims to Hajj, the NPP flagbearer explained that such discrimination was bound to happen since the Hajj Board is compromised with politics.

He said an Akufo-Addo government will ensure that only persons, who are neither NPP nor NDC, with the requisite expertise and knowledge in matters of the pilgrimage to Mecca, are selected to be part of the board.

“This will ensure that Moslems from all parts of the country are afforded the opportunity to fulfill this pillar of Islam. This is the best arrangement that we can have – an independent, non-partisan Hajj Board that will ensure that all Muslims in every part of the country have an opportunity to go to Mecca,” he added.