Builsa South MP for Dr. Clement Apaak is accusing president Akufo-Addo of using his regular address to Ghanaians to campaign ahead of the December polls.

He wants the president to use the platform to update the country on measures taken against the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, the announcement by the President that the cost of examination fees for the 2020 WASSCE students will be absorbed by government was unnecessary as it was already included in the free SHS promised by the governing government.

“What did our President think the Ghanaian parent who was told is being offered free education expect of him? Was he in any way expecting that they were waiting on him to announce the cost of examination at WASSCE? Was the cost of WASSCE examination excluded from free SHS from day one?

“It must be stated clearly that the cost of examination is part of the cost of education. And, having rolled out the free SHS programme, it was expected, a given, automatic, inter alia, that the specific cost of examination is embedded in that and was expected to have been budgeted for as a component of free SHS,” he said.

In the lengthy post on his Facebook wall, the MP further argued that it was insincere on the part of President Akufo-Addo to reiterate an old issue stated last year in a Covid-19 update on June 21, 2020.

“As far back as December 2019, on or about the 15th of that month, Ghanaweb sourced a story from 3News under the heading “Govt absorbs WASSCE fees for the first batch of free SHS students”. The very announcement on Sunday was contained in this publication of December 19, 2019.

“It makes one wonder how this very issue stated some seven months ago, has resurfaced in a Covid-19 update of June 21, 2020, when Ghanaians are expecting specific measures aimed at fighting the virus.

“The fight is clearly giving way to campaign messages, which is very unfortunate for our country at this crucial moment. "

Dr. Apaak urged the President to concerntrate on explaining the recent spike in the number of recoveries which has become a concern for many.

This according to him is because “smuggling in issues dealt with many months ago to score political points, rather depletes the interest Ghanaians carry to sit by their television sets each time to listen to the President.”