“Is Mahama Favoring the North? Patricia Appiagyei Sparks Tribalism Debate

Recently, a Ghanaian politician named Patricia Appiagyei, who is the Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament, asked a tough question to the current President, John Dramani Mahama. She was wondering why most of the people the President is choosing to work with in government are from the northern part of Ghana.

In an interview, Patricia said that when she looks at the list of people President Mahama is picking for important roles like Chief Executives or district leaders, many of them are from the North. She said this made her sad, and she felt like it was unfair. According to her, it looks like the President is favoring people from one area, and she thinks this can create problems for the country.

She also reminded everyone that Ghana’s Constitution (the laws that guide the country) says there should be a regional balance when appointing people to serve the nation. That means people from different parts of Ghana should all get a chance to be in government, not just from one area. She also pointed out that the population in the North is smaller than in some other parts of Ghana, like the Akan areas, so she feels it’s wrong for Northerners to dominate the appointments.

But many people on social media strongly disagreed with her. They said that this kind of talk is “tribalism”, treating people differently because of where they come from. Some reminded her that in the past, President Akufo-Addo chose mostly Akans, and no one complained like this. Others said that Northerners are Ghanaians too, and if they’re qualified, they deserve to be appointed.

In short, this is a debate about fairness, tribal politics, and whether it’s right to talk about people’s regions when choosing leaders. Many think it’s wrong to bring tribe or region into politics, because everyone is Ghanaian and should be treated equally.