A group calling itself the Concerned Youth of Asawase has called on Muslims in Ghana to remain steadfast in their choice of a political leader and not to be swayed by individuals seeking to exploit religion for their political interests.
The group, with support from the Coalition of Ashanti Regional Muslim Chiefs and Imams, stated that leaders in Islamic communities have a duty to correct the erroneous impression that religion motivates political allegiance, especially when selecting leaders based on religion has not benefited the religious group.
The groups engaged journalists in Kumasi on Thursday to address what they described as misconceptions arising from the election of Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, as the 2024 Presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to the leadership of the groups, Dr. Bawumia’s election must not be seen as an automatic endorsement of the Muslim community when choosing a President in the 2024 general elections.
They questioned the Vice President’s commitment to solving key problems affecting the Islamic community in Ghana and his continuous silence on matters directly affecting Muslims and indigenes of the Zongo communities.
Umar Harris, the President of the Concerned Youth of Asawase, said the Vice President failed to use his position as the Chairman of the Ghana Police Council to address the unfortunate ethnic conflicts that have claimed the lives of many young Muslim men and women, left hundreds of children orphaned, and turned thousands of women into widows.
“Never once has the Vice President made a public statement to show concern about the bloodshed among his own Muslim and northern brothers,” he added.
He further noted that the Vice President had also failed to fulfill promises made to Zongo communities in Ghana, including the promise to build 16 model Senior High Schools in the Zongos within the 16 regions of Ghana.
He questioned, “Where are those schools promised after 7 and a half years in power? Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia inspected works on the construction of a classroom block for the Kwaboanta Presbyterian Junior High School (JHS) in the Ayensuano District, in the Eastern Region, on 3rd March 2023.”
The groups emphasized that the Vice President has done little to demonstrate his commitment to resolving issues affecting Muslims and the Zongo community in Ghana.