Togbe Afede would’ve resigned if he was a white man – Hon. Adjei Darko

A former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Kwadwo Adjei Darko has faulted the President of the National House of Chiefs (NHC), Togbe Afede XIV for what he describes as the latter’s “unprincipled” stance on the ongoing debate on the referendum of December 17, 2019.

The former Sunyani West legislator says the revered overload of the Asogli State and Member of the Council of State rushed with his press statement, purporting the house’s position on the referendum as “no” based on the advice of the Legal Affairs Committee of the NHC, and urged Ghanaians to do same.

In the December 17 referendum, Ghanaians would be voting to accept or reject the inclusion of political party participation at the local level elections.

The Chairman of the Legal Committee of the National House of Chiefs Nana Professor S.K.B. Asante has however said his committee did not push for a ‘NO’ vote in the upcoming referendum on local level elections.

“We did not specifically advise a ‘NO VOTE’ to our colleagues. I’m contemplating an emergency meeting with my colleagues so we thrash this thing out. The memorandum made by the NHC to the Minister did not press for a ‘NO VOTE’. That is the fact,” he said in an interview today.

The Hon. Adjei Darko who spoke in an interview on Kumasi-based Angel FM on Monday said a more deliberate education on the referendum must be done and would be much better if all radio stations decide to shed led on the issue simultaneously so that electorates can make decisions based on their own convictions.

“Don’t impose YES or NO on anybody, but explain it to the understanding of the electorates so they are able to make their own decisions; and that is why I fault the National House of Chiefs; it was needless to hurriedly come out to say people should vote NO without letting them in on the pros and cons of each choice for they themselves to make an informed decision”, he said.



He said, “Somebody the calibre of Togbe Afede, who is also a Member of the Council of State, if he is a principled person, he would resign. If he were a white man, he would resign as the President of the National House of Chiefs and a member of the Council of state; especially coming from the offshoot of the very short period after the NDC advocated for a NO vote at a press conference”.