Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh says he has “exposed” constitutional inconsistencies and fiscal mismanagement in the NDC administration following the release of the 2025 DACF Guidelines.
At a detailed press briefing, he argued that the new guidelines directly conflict with the formula approved by Parliament under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution.
The parliamentary formula, he explained, relies on empirical indicators such as equality components, needs-based factors, and service pressure data to ensure fair distribution among 261 MMDAs.
Yet, according to Annoh-Dompreh, the ministerial guidelines impose fixed national percentages for certain projects not included in the approved formula.
“This is not interpretation; this is substitution,” he said, describing the move as constitutionally questionable.
He further pointed to a “disturbing disparity” between DACF disbursements and transfers to other statutory funds.
While GETFund and the National Health Insurance Fund have benefited from substantial transfers, DACF allocations continue to suffer arrears and delays.
“The Constitution does not rank DACF as secondary. It is entrenched, protected and mandatory,” he emphasised.
Annoh-Dompreh also cited the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling in Benjamin Komla Kpodo & Richard Quashigah v. Attorney-General, which stipulates that DACF allocations cannot fall below five per cent of total national revenue. Any deviation, he noted, amounts to non-compliance.
“We cannot preach decentralisation and practise fiscal centralisation,” he stated.
He called for immediate corrective measures, including a binding automatic computation mechanism to enforce the constitutional five per cent requirement.
The Minority Chief Whip vowed continued oversight. “When executive action drifts beyond constitutional boundaries, it is our duty to expose it. Accountability is not optional; it is the lifeblood of our democracy,” he concluded.
