NPP Chairman Freddie Blay
The NPP has urged Ghanaians, especially the people of the Volta Region, to reject being used as “political pawns” by the NDC in the lead up to the December polls.
“The NDC, having failed at every turn, have decided to introduce and pursue an agenda of what they claim to be ethnic disenfranchisement as their last card. We are calling on the people of the Volta Region and, indeed, on all Ghanaians to stand up against being used as political pawns in this dangerous political game by a desperate John Mahama.
“Mahama showed very little concern for the people of the Volta Region when he had the opportunity as president to impact on the lives of the people. John Mahama cannot be trusted and we say so by his own record and not just his dangerous words,” Freddie Blay, National Chairman of the NPP, stated yesterday at a press conference.
Vile agenda
He condemned how Mr Mahama deliberately spread falsehood that the Akufo-Addo government was pushing an anti-Ewe agenda to disenfranchise people from the Volta Region during the former president’s recent visit to the Volta Region.
“We have had instances of tense party political intrigues throughout the Fourth Republic, but nothing quite like what John Mahama is trying to unleash today simply because his record as President is desperately poor, and he has no message.
“In 2016, his campaign message was ‘E dey be k3k3!’ Akufo-Addo, on the other hand, proposed a raft of policy measures, including but not limited to Free SHS, and he’s delivering!” he said.
Mr Blay further stated that an earlier assertion by Mr Mahama that President Akufo-Addo had sent the military to the region to prevent people from taking part in the voters’ registration exercise was a sign of desperation. He said the NPP will “not allow his desperation to use hate-for-votes to create needless tension among our peace-loving people. “
“How could John Mahama accuse President Akufo-Addo of ethnic discrimination when, only last week, the President was in the Northern and Savannah Regions to ensure that 1.2 million people there have access to water, including John Mahama’s own maternal hometown? John Mahama has no message because Akufo-Addo is working hard to solve the real-life problems that confront the Ghanaian people,” the NPP chairman stated.
Disenfranchising claims
With regards to claims that Voltarians are being disenfranchised, the NPP chairman disclosed that, as at the end of Phase 5 of the registration exercise, 816,069 people had registered in the Volta Region.
“Indeed, on a national average, registration in Volta Region, particularly in Ketu South, has been among the highest in the country. As against the 2016 register, Greater Accra has performed the best across all regions of the country, followed by Upper West, Northern, Central, Savannah (John Mahama’s own region), followed by Bono, Bono East, Western, Volta before Eastern. Where is the discrimination? Are the people of Savannah facing discrimination? What about the Northern Region? Are the Krobos and Ewes in Eastern Region, specifically the Abuakwa areas, complaining about discrimination? Have they not lived there for decades and is that not where Akufo-Addo comes from? Please, let us not allow John Mahama to fool us with his hate-for-votes agenda,” he said.
Source: Daily Statesman
