The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has slammed the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) framing of July 1 as a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, saying the party’s so-called reset is more about persecuting political opponents than genuinely thanking God.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, July 1, Mr Mohammed accused the NDC of hypocrisy, saying their recent rhetoric does not align with their actions in government.

“Let us be factual and let the people know that your reset is to persecute, and that’s what they are doing. It has nothing to do with thanking God,” he said in a rebuttal to earlier comments from NDC’s Deputy General Secretary, Mustapha Gbande, who claimed that while Ghanaians were renewing their minds in Christ, the NPP remained fixated on politics and numbers.

Mr Mohammed clarified that the idea of a national prayer day was not new and had been done under former President Akufo-Addo during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Read also: NDC’s Mustapha Gbande criticises NPP for politicising National Day of Prayer

“On the 25th of March, 2020, His Excellency Akufo-Addo declared a National Day of Prayer, and this was done across the length and breadth of Ghana. We thanked God, and we prayed to God over a befallen pandemic. So this is not the first time,” he noted.

He added that while the NPP participated in the recent prayer service organized by President John Mahama, the NDC failed to reciprocate during similar moments under the previous government.

“They [NDC] didn’t come to thank God when we did ours,” he said.

“Now they talk about a peaceful election—he should have been clapping for us. If we [NPP] had behaved the way they did during the elections, Ghana would be in a different state.”

The NPP Deputy General Secretary also raised concerns about worsening insecurity in parts of the country under the current administration, questioning the NDC’s claims of peace.

“In his own region, Oti, people cannot sleep. They are killing them day in and day out. Bawku has escalated—peace does not exist in that place,” he said.

On the economy, he dismissed Mr Gbande’s optimism over improvements in the cedi’s performance, pointing out that the cost of living remains high.

“You talk about the cedi to dollar—but rent has not changed, food prices have not changed, cement prices have not changed,” Mr Mohammed said.

“Ghana’s democracy is deteriorating, and we should be worried.”

He added that beyond the symbolic gestures, the NDC’s actions, particularly in how it is treating dissenting voices and using bail conditions to punish political opponents, reflect a government more interested in control than reconciliation.