Former President John Dramani Mahama notes that the Volta region is aptly dubbed the ‘World Bank of NDC’ due to the consistently high percentage of presidential votes the party receives in the region, rather than the sheer number of votes.
The former President bemoaned the NDC’s slipping grip on the Volta region, where its 2020 performance of 84% was unusually low, especially when compared to the Rawlings era, when the NPP would barely scrape together single-digit support, making their 14% showing in 2020 a red flag for the NDC.
Launching the NDC’s campaign tour in the Volta region, John Mahama addressed a gathering in Juapong, where he accused the NPP of spreading falsehoods and engaging in propaganda to manipulate voters in the region.
“They [the NPP] tell you that you vote for NDC all the time and yet, NDC has done nothing for you. And so even though we can see what you have gotten under NDC, the propaganda is so strong that you actually believe that NDC has done nothing”.
“And yet, if you take the Volta region, from electricity, water, education, health to roads, everything…was provided in the time of the NDC”.
John Dramani Mahama
He further noted that the Volta region’s infrastructure development consistently grinds to a halt whenever the NPP assumes power, only to be revived when the NDC returns to office.
Highlighting the abandoned road projects in Juapong and Abutia, Mahama argued that the NPP government’s inaction on these projects reveals a lack of intent to complete them, as they would have been long finished if the government was truly committed to their completion.
The former President observed that the once-thriving Juapong textile industry, which flourished under the NDC’s leadership, has sadly collapsed under the current NPP administration.
“And yet, they will come with propaganda and say NDC has done nothing for you”. – John Mahama
Former President Mahama emphasized that the NDC prioritizes investments that yield long-term benefits, impacting positively on people’s lives across multiple generations.
He pointed out that the NPP’s approach in the Volta region is to cherry-pick individuals to share in their plundered wealth, enriching only a select few, whereas the NDC focuses on community-wide benefits.
Mahama Alleges NPP Vote-Buying, Warns Against Selling Votes
Furthermore, John Dramani Mahama alleged that the NPP engages in vote-buying tactics, citing the Assin North by-election as a case in point, and cautioned the electorate against compromising their democratic rights by selling their votes.
He encouraged voters to take the money offered by the NPP as a bribe, but to remain steadfast in their voting decision, promising that they will not face any backlash or consequences for not voting for the NPP despite accepting the money.
“Assin North, they chop the money but they went and voted for the truth. Nobody has died from ‘kpelekpedzi’ in Assin North for chopping that money. So they are going to come with the money and I’m telling you, the people of Juapong, North Tongu, when the money comes, collect it and chop it”.
“Because the money is your own money… We all know what we’ve gone through in this country for the last eight years. I mean, nothing in this country works anymore”.
John Dramani Mahama
Mahama pointed out that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led NPP administration has set a dismal record as the first government in Ghana’s history to accumulate arrears in national service allowances, stressing that virtually nothing is functioning effectively.
He observed that the government’s NABCO program, touted as a job creation initiative, has turned out to be a deception, with trainees now owed ten months’ worth of arrears, exposing the administration’s failure to deliver on its promises.
Mahama slammed the NPP for its penchant for dishonesty, alleging that the party’s ultimate goal of winning elections leads it to engage in deliberate lying and deception, compromising the truth and integrity.
“They [NPP] will tell you the sweetest thing you want to hear but NDC does not talk, we act”. – John Mahama
He pointed out that the NDC has a history of fulfilling its commitments, as seen in the successful rehabilitation of the Adome Bridge and the construction of the Juapong road, which were delivered as promised.
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