The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially launched its 2024 national campaign in Tamale with impassioned speeches from key party leaders, highlighting the perceived failures of the current administration and calling for a united effort to unseat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming elections.
Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the General Secretary of the NDC, delivered a blistering critique of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s tenure.
Addressing a crowd of enthusiastic supporters, Mr Kwetey described the last eight years under the NPP administration as “nothing short of a total disgrace and destruction of our country.”
Mr Kwetey’s appeal extended beyond the traditional National Democratic Congress supporters to include perceived disillusioned members of the New Patriotic Party.
Mr Kwetey urged members of the NPP who recognize the failures of their party to join forces with the NDC and the broader Ghanaian populace to ensure the NPP’s defeat on December 7.
“You need to come together with the good people of Ghana to ensure that the NPP is disgraced and defeated on December 7”, he urged, emphasizing that this cooperation was crucial not just for the NDC’s success, but for the country’s future.
He contrasted the current New Patriotic Party administration with former President Kufour’s tenure, emphasizing that the levels of “destruction, disgrace, and deception” are unprecedented.
“It is important for your own party because you need to rescue your party,” Mr Kwetey implored.
“So, therefore, it means that there are many of you in the NPP who know what is right, and you need to rally together with the good people of Ghana to ensure that this darkness comes to an end. That this decay comes to an end, that this disgrace comes to an end, that this shamelessness comes to an end come, December 7”.
Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress
Additionally, the General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress framed the upcoming election as a battle between Ghana and the NPP, rather than just a contest between the two main political parties.
He stressed that a victory for the NPP would signal that corruption, suffering, and hopelessness could prevail unchecked, effectively dooming the country.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s Scathing Assessment
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ajumako Essiam Enyan Constituency, echoed Mr Kwetey’s sentiments in his address.
Dr Forson painted a dire picture of the country’s state under the New Patriotic Party government, describing it as a “gargantuan mess”.
The former Deputy Minister of Finance under the erstwhile Mahama’s administration listed a litany of issues plaguing the country, attributing them to the “monumental failure” of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s administration.
His accusations ranged from economic mismanagement and widespread corruption to lawlessness and arrogance of power.
“It has been 8 good years of lies, lies, and more lies. 8 years of impunity and lawlessness. 8 years of recklessness and cluelessness; It has been 8 years of no jobs and joblessness; 8 years of no hope and hopelessness; 8 years of hardship, 8 years of, taxes, and more taxes.
“8 years of borrowing, more borrowing, and in fact, over borrowing. 8 years of illegal printing of money at the Bank of Ghana. 8 years of illegality. 8 years of wastage. 8 years of non-performance. 8 years of poor governance, 8 years of massive uncontrolled corruption, 8 years of state capture, family and friends, and arrogance of power”.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ajumako Essiam Enyan
Moreover, the Minority Leader, Dr Ato Forson highlighted alarming statistics to underscore the gravity of the situation, citing reports from the Ghana Statistics Service and the World Bank.
He noted that 11.5 million Ghanaians had been plunged into extreme poverty, with 8.4 million experiencing food insecurity within 24 hours in 2023.
In a fervent call to action, both Mr. Kwetey and Dr Ato Forson emphasized the need for Ghanaians to turn out in force on December 7 to vote the NPP out of power.
They underscored that failing to do so would signal acceptance of the current administration’s failures and further entrench the challenges facing the country.
Mr Kwetey concluded on a hopeful note, rallying support for former President John Dramani Mahama, who he said was inspired by the legacies of Ghana’s founding father, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the fourth republic’s founder, the late President Jerry John Rawlings and the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
The NDC’s campaign launch in Tamale sets the stage for what promises to be a heated and contentious election season, with the opposition party aiming to leverage widespread dissatisfaction to reclaim power and address the myriad issues they attribute to the current government’s mismanagement.
READ ALSO: Mid-Year Budget Controversy: Is Ghana’s Economy Truly Recovering?
