The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of turning a blind eye to illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, NDC members feel emboldened to engage in galamsey because they believe President John Mahama and his administration will be lenient on the matter.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, March 26, Mr Ahiagbah claimed that the resurgence of illegal mining activities mirrors what was experienced in 2016 before President Mahama left office.

“The President is not focused on fighting galamsey. What we experienced in 2016 or before the President left office is coming back. As we all can tell, members of the NDC are visibly emboldened to engage in illegal mining because they realise that the President and their party will be lenient on galamsey due to the promises they made to galamseyers in their campaign,” he stated.

He further asserted that the President’s inaction on galamsey is part of a larger trend of governance failures, accusing him of prioritising the persecution of political opponents over environmental protection and anti-corruption efforts.

“Our environment is being sacrificed, and our democratic rights are under attack. This is what we voted for, but this is one thing that we must all come together and fight.

"People say elections have consequences, and the consequence of our choice on December 7 is facing us,” he added.