National Democratic Congress (NDC) Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Gibril, has launched a strong response to comments attributed to former New Patriotic Party (NPP) minister, Mustapha Hamid, over the NDC’s growing attraction for academics and professionals.
In an interview on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Gibril argued that the NPP’s criticism of academics who have joined or supported the NDC reflects what he described as a lack of respect for intellectuals within the party.
According to him, the NPP appears to assume that they are intellectuals but they are not.
They presumed people associated with the NDC do not read or possess the intellectual capacity to engage in serious political discourse.
He questioned whether the NDC, during its earlier years in government, appointed only people from the streets as ministers, arguing that the party has consistently provided opportunities for young people and professionals to rise through the ranks.
Gibril cited the emergence of young NDC figures, including Sammy Gyamfi, Adudzi Tamakloe, Kombat and other professionals, as evidence of what he described as the party’s willingness to give young people opportunities to serve both in the party and government. He added that the aforementioned young people would never have gotten the opportunity they now have to serve if they were in NPP in spite of their distinction in government.
He further argued that political appointments under the NDC are not necessarily determined by family background or longstanding party connections.
“If you don’t have a birth certificate with a barcode, you will never enjoy any position in the NPP government,” Gibril is quoted as saying, no wonder they queried Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa during his vetting as deputy minister of information in 2008 , if he has ever gotten working experience, what he considers excessive scrutiny of individuals seeking opportunities to work in government.
He also questioned the performance of NPP members with academic credentials who served in government, asking what their educational qualifications ultimately translated into during their tenure.
In one of his sharpest remarks, Gibril stated: “Education does not erase stupidity.”
He added that, in his view, the most ignorant person is one who believes they are educated but lacks genuine knowledge.
Gibril further accused the NPP of allowing “ignorance and arrogance” to influence its political approach, questioning whether the party expected every Ghanaian voter to hold a university degree before being considered capable of making political choices.
He also warned young people against blindly following Hamid’s political outlook, suggesting that doing so could limit their opportunities to excel.
The NDC official concluded with another jab at the NPP, arguing that if the party wants to be mischievous they don’t speak in English but in Twi so they can be loud.
