The party believes it's an attempt by the government to allow the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new register of voters for the 2020 general elections and nothing more.
Sammy Gyamfi, The Communications Director of the NDC wondered: "Why will President Akufo-Addo impose a partial lockdown with the objective of halting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, at a time we had only recorded 137 cases across just four (4) regions of the country and with 5 deaths, but turn around to lift the partial lockdown, at a time our positive case count has galloped to 1,042, across ten (10) regions and with nine (9) deaths?"
The NDC and other political parties have kicked against the EC's decision to compile a new register describing it as a waste of money and an attempt by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to rig the elections in December.
The NPP, however, is in support of the new register and the EC is also bent on compiling a new register at all costs.
Nana Addo, on Sunday, April 19, 2020, in a televised address to the nation said the country now has the ability to undertake aggressive contact-tracing of infected persons.
He said the "enhancement of our capacity to test, the expansion in the numbers of our treatment and isolation centres, the better understanding of the dynamism of the virus, the ramping up of domestic capacity to produce our own personal protective equipment, sanitisers, and medicines, the modest successes chalked at containing the spread of the virus in Accra and Kumasi, and the severe impact on the poor and vulnerable”, were the reasons he lifted the partial lockdown."
However, Sammy Gyamfi reacting to the President's announcement said the decision is to place political expediency ahead of Public safety.
In a Facebook post, he questioned the basis for the lockdown in the first place.
He added that the decision by the President is a reckless political gamble that portends great danger for this nation.
"President Akufo-Addo’s decision to lift the lockdown at this crucial time is a reckless political gamble that portends great danger for this nation. Ghanaians must never forgive him if this unimaginable decision exacerbates our COVID-19 situation. The blame for any fatality that is occasioned by this reckless decision must lie squarely with the President," he noted.