Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh says he has uncovered what he describes as constitutional breaches and financial missteps within the NDC administration, following the release of the 2025 District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) Guidelines.
Addressing a press briefing, Annoh-Dompreh argued that the new guidelines contradict the DACF formula approved by Parliament under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution.
He explained that the parliamentary formula was carefully designed using measurable indicators — including equality components, needs-based criteria, and service pressure data — to ensure a fair distribution of resources across the country’s 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
According to him, the ministerial guidelines depart from that framework by introducing fixed national percentages for selected projects, allocations he says are not reflected in the approved formula.
“This is not interpretation; this is substitution,” he stated, describing the move as constitutionally problematic.
Annoh-Dompreh also raised concerns about what he called a troubling imbalance in statutory fund disbursements. While funds such as GETFund and the National Health Insurance Fund have reportedly received significant transfers, he said DACF allocations continue to face arrears and delays.
“The Constitution does not treat DACF as secondary,” he stressed. “It is entrenched, protected, and mandatory.”
He further referenced the Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Benjamin Komla Kpodo & Richard Quashigah v. Attorney-General, which affirmed that DACF allocations cannot be capped below five per cent of total national revenue. In his view, any deviation from that threshold amounts to constitutional non-compliance.
“We cannot preach decentralisation and practise fiscal centralisation,” he said.
Annoh-Dompreh concluded by calling for immediate corrective action, including the introduction of an automatic computation mechanism to ensure strict adherence to the constitutional five per cent requirement.
He made it clear that the Minority would continue to press the issue.
“When executive action drifts beyond constitutional boundaries, it is our responsibility to highlight it,” he declared. “Accountability is not optional — it is the lifeblood of our democracy.”