The Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Tanko Computer, has cautioned the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against promoting ethnicity and religion in its flagbearer race, warning that such tactics could make the party unattractive to many Ghanaians.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, August 30, Mr Tanko-Computer said that politics should be about competence and ideas, not tribal or religious background.

“Ethnicity is not good for us in this country. Let’s look at the candidates, what they are bringing on the table, not where they are coming from. It is not good. Some of them have started attacking the established candidate, where he is coming from,” he said.

He cited the late President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills as an example, explaining that the NDC stuck with him despite initial defeats because of his competence.

“We brought Prof Atta Mills from Central Region, a very big political landscape.

"In the 2000 elections, he lost; in 2004, his people did not vote for him, his background, they didn’t vote for him. We didn’t stop, we repeated him in 2008, they voted massively for him. So let’s stop this ethnicity thing and look at the strength of the person,” he added.

Mr Tanko-Computer further questioned whether the NPP’s current rhetoric implied that people from certain regions, particularly the north, could never become president on the party’s ticket.

“Otherwise the thing we are doing now, are we trying to say anyone coming up from the North cannot be a president of Ghana under NPP? This kind of thing they are doing is making their party look unattractive to the Northerners,” he said.

He also raised concerns about religion being introduced into politics, describing it as a dangerous path.

“Religion is not an issue in this country, but the NPP hype it, now it is coming to hit them again. Because they are saying that the Zongo people voted against Bawumia in 2024, and therefore, they shouldn’t repeat him again. They are bringing back that thing again,” he warned.

According to him, the NDC had consistently advised the NPP to avoid such divisive politics.

“We warned them. NDC as a political party, we warned them to stop it, it’s not good. That issue of the Christian-Muslim thing doesn’t work. Let’s stop it. Let’s look at the competence of the people,” Mr Computer said.