The delay in the release of the result of the 2010 population and housing census by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has caused restlessness in the camp of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (a.k.a Sir John) has remarked that the delay is ‘suspicious.’
Speaking on Radio XYZ news, Sir John said that the NPP has realized that the Statistical Service wants to assist the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government by massaging the figures, thus the failure to release the figures.
“We know they didn’t want to publish the figures, this ought to have been published early this year. It has to do with government manipulation; therefore we are going to be vigilant,” NPP scribe said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mr George Lawson, has objected to the remark made by the NPP scribe, [and] said that the Statistical Service is an independent body, therefore, the government has no control over its affairs.
“We don’t even know the reason for this delay, I think the Statistical Service should come out to explain this delay,” he said.
Mr Lawson further said that the NDC is waiting patiently for figures, adding that “based on the figures, new constituencies would be created by the Electoral Commission (EC).
Also, the Director of Operations of EC, Mr Christian Owusu Opare, has indicated that without the results of the District Population figures, the EC would be unable to create new constituencies.
“We need the figures to be able to determine districts that would benefit from the creation of new constituencies,” Mr Owusu Opare noted.
He said that the Statistical Service promised to release the figures in March 2012, but that never came to pass, adding that the body again failed to release the figures in April as promised.
“We know that the release of the figures will definitely happen in the near future, but it would be difficult to announce the creation of new constituencies,” Mr Opare said.
STORY BY: EUNICE OKYIR, INTERN
