Opposition Political Parties in the Northern Region mount pressure on gov’t to reduce tariffs

Opposition political parties and some dressmakers and hairdressers in the northern region have given government a week’s ultimatum to reduce electricity tariffs by at least 50 percent or face what they called the full force of their anger.

Even though the parties could not exactly explain what they meant by government facing the full force of the anger of the people in the northern region, they said they would explore all available means to compel government to reduce the price.

At a joint news conference in Tamale which saw the political parties including the New Patriotic Party, Convention People’s Party, People’s National Convention, Progressive People’s Party and All People’s Congress coming together for a common cause, the parties warned the government to act now and fast.

The news conference, was also attended by some informal sector business operators, hoteliers and small scale business enterprises who complained that their businesses are collapsing and the president needs to show leadership by reducing electricity tariffs now to lessen their economic difficulties.

Pointing to the numerous challenges facing the northern region such as unemployment, poor harvests, failing schools, bad roads, ill-equipped health facilities, coupled with the rising cost of living, the political parties urged President John Dramani Mahama to show some concern about the plight of the people in the north.

The news conference was addressed by the NPP Northern Regional Communication Director, Mohammed Abdul Kudus who said the people in the region can no longer cope with what they described as ’’ killer electricity tariffs’’ which have been imposed on Ghanaians by the NDC government since December.

The parties accused the president of deceiving Ghanaians about his earlier statement in December that, electricity prices were to go up by 60 percent.

According to the parties, VRA-NEDCo bills shot up to 200 percent and some even reached 300 percent, which they described as pure stealing and questioned why government assured Ghanaians that their bills will only go up by 60 percent and yet ended up by going up by more than three times.