President Nana Akufo-Addo will address the nation this evening (Sunday, 1 December 2019) on the 17 December referendum which is asking Ghanaians about whether or not they would want the 1992 Constitution amended to allow political parties to sponsor candidates in local government elections.

The President’s address will be at 8 p.m.

The referendum has divided the nation. While the governing New Patriotic Party (N00) is pushing for a YES vote, the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Different civil societies are also divided on the matter just as the National House of Chiefs on the matter.

Speaking at the 30th-anniversary celebration of the Akatsi District Assembly on Monday, 4 November 2019 at the commencement of his 2-day tour of the Volta Region, President Akufo-Addo asked the Ghanaian electorate to turn out in their numbers on 17 December 2019 to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum to repeal Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution and obtain the power to elect directly their own Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.

“Vote yellow for the ‘Yes’ vote on 17 December”, the President told the crowd, adding: “We want to take Ghana one step forward. We are making progress with our democracy on many fronts. This is one of the last remaining barriers that we have to overcome. Support the initiative that the government has taken to bring greater and greater control over local government to the people in the area”.

The President Akufo-Addo then told the gathering that a ‘Yes’ vote means “you can choose for yourself, directly, the man or woman you want as your DCE”, adding: “No President is going to be involved anymore”.

“I have the power, I say I am giving you the power to choose, and relieve me of the burden. I want you to be the one to make the decision for yourself”, Nana Akufo-Addo added.