‘Even if you bring Jesus as EC Chair, NDC will complain’ – Hackman Owusu-Agyeman

The Chairman of the NPP National Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has criticised the opposition NDC for what he describes as a chronic tendency to challenge electoral processes and outcomes regardless of circumstances.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 25, the veteran politician said the NDC’s posture threatens to undermine Ghana’s democratic progress.

“I don’t like the opposition’s posture, and they keep saying that if they don’t win, then something has happened,” the former Foreign Minister lamented.

“Believe me, if you bring Jesus Christ from heaven to come and become the Electoral Commissioner, they will still complain.”

The former New Juaben MP expressed concern over the NDC’s persistent accusations against the Electoral Commission, stating that such allegations erode public trust in the democratic process.

“These complaints are not helping anybody, and these threats and what have you are not helping nobody,” he remarked.

He linked the NDC’s combative stance to broader dysfunctions in Ghana’s political institutions, including Parliament.

“This has permeated society to the extent that even at our legislative organisation, i.e., in Parliament, things are not working the way we expect them to work,” Mr Owusu-Agyeman noted.

“They owe it to us for Parliament to work—it’s for the people; it’s not their property. It’s not the property of the Speaker; it’s the property of the people of Ghana. They must listen to us and move on.”

Reflecting on his aspirations for Ghana, Mr Owusu-Agyeman expressed frustration over the country’s political challenges.

“Sometimes, in my quiet moments, I feel like crying,” he admitted.

“When I worked for the United Nations for 20 years, I left as chief, and at the expense of sounding immodest, I would have been the Director-General of the FAO. But I came back, hoping that what has been achieved elsewhere, we could do it here.”

While acknowledging the military interruptions that disrupted Ghana’s political evolution, Owusu-Agyeman stressed the importance of building on the progress achieved so far.

“We knew we would be able to make this country a great country and move forward, and Africa and the world would respect Ghana,” he said.