The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu has warned chiefs under his jurisdiction to desist from endorsing political parties and candidates as Ghana readies for the 2016 elections.
According to the Ashanti monarch, although the law does not bar chiefs from voting, they must not compromise their neutrality in the eyes of their subjects.
Addressing the Ashanti regional House of Chiefs, Otumfuo however noted that there is nothing wrong with chiefs acknowledging and appreciating government for projects undertaken in their area.
“All the various parties are in your communities so desist from openly showing that you belong to one side, because you serve and lead all of them.
“As humans, when you go to the booth on election day, nobody can tell you who to vote for; that is your choice and nobody can stop you from voting for your preferred candidate. What I urge you, however, is that don’t go showing support for any of them for your people to know where you belong,” he stated.
He continued: “But if government does something for you and you want to express your appreciation, that is not against the law, and there is nothing wrong with that. But showing support for any of the candidates and political parties is not allowed by our tradition so be careful as chiefs”.
Ghana goes to the polls on November 7. President John Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Nana Akufo-Addo of the main opposition New Patriotic Party are the frontrunners.
Source: GhanaWeb
