Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, is demanding fairness in the distribution of the government’s free food to the underprivileged.

Mr. Mahama says there have been “unfortunate reports of demands for party affiliation as an identifier for free food, bought from the state’s resources.”

“This must end now and immediately because coronavirus does not know NPP and NDC. Neither does it know CPP, PNC, PPP or APC etc,” the former president said.

To end this anomaly, Mahama says local authorities in the communities affected by the lockdown where the distribution of food is ongoing must be consulted on how to fairly distribute the packages.

These authorities, according to him, include: traditional authorities, Assemblymen and women, CSOs and NGOs and faith-based organisations.

These bodies, the NDC leader believes would “steer and ensure fair, equitable and non-partisan distribution of food and essential items to the vulnerable, including people with disability.”

His comments follow similar complaints by NDC parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo, who said his team had to locate a victim of such discrimination to give her food.

Yesterday @TheGhanaWeb did a story of how a lady in Shiashi was not given free food because she’s not a member of a certain party. We located(her house) her today and put a smile on her face with rice, oil and canned fish. #idey4u pic.twitter.com/p0Ju2S6STP

— MrDumelo (@johndumelo1) April 10, 2020

Donation to 20,000 households

Mahama was speaking when he himself led an NDC team to distribute food items which would cater for some 20,000 households in the areas under lockdown in the Greater Accra region, Kasoa and parts of the Ashanti region.

“Ladies and gentlemen, these items – Rice, Oil and Canned Fish – will be delivered to our traditional rulers in the lockdown areas; the Ga Traditional Council, the Tema Traditional Council, the Kpone Traditional Council, the Awutu Senya Traditional Council, the Asanteman Council, the Council of Zongo Chiefs in both Accra and Kumasi and the umbrella bodies of faith-based organizations and people living with disability.

“We count on these bodies to coordinate and manage a fair distribution of these items to households in their areas,” he said.

The lockdown has, however, been extended by a week in a bid to contain the spread of the virus while scores of people on social media are calling for a nationwide lockdown.