
Voters in the Ashanti Region have been urged to prioritize the region’s development over their loyalty to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as Ghanaians prepare to head to the polls next month.
Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, believes that the level of development in the region under the NPP does not reflect the significant support and loyalty that voters have demonstrated towards the party over the years.
“Those of you who keep saying you were born into the NPP so you cannot vote against them must have a re-think because the party has proven over the years that they don’t value your loyalty,” Mr. Nketia said at Afrancho near Akomadan in the Offinso North District.
The National Chairman, speaking to the people of Afrancho during his three-day retail campaign in the region, emphasized that the purpose of elections is to elect parties that will deliver development to the citizens.
“It is time to depart from voting for a tradition that has left you impoverished and your communities underdeveloped in the last eight years when you have a choice that is people-centered and development-oriented in the NDC,” he noted.
He stated that it is illogical to observe that most development projects in communities within the Ashanti Region have been carried out by the NDC while the people continue to place their faith in the NPP.
“Since they know you will remain loyal to them even if they don’t develop your communities, they will continue to take you for granted,” the NDC National Chairman maintained.
Unlike the NDC, which is recognized for the equitable distribution of national resources regardless of which region supports them, the NPP operates under the assumption that the Ashanti Region is assured of their votes regardless of their performance, he told the gathering.
He urged the audience to demand projects that would benefit the entire population and to resist the money-sharing tactics that the NPP consistently employs to attract voters during elections.
“Those monies they share during the election are just a fraction of what they have squandered at the expense of developing your communities,” Mr. Nketia alleged.
According to him, even though the NDC has played a secondary role to the NPP in the region, it can take pride in significant projects that have transformed lives throughout the area. He emphasized that voters in Ashanti have a prime opportunity to restore the party responsible for those initiatives in December.
He stated that the region must vote out the NPP to compel the party to take them seriously after years of neglect and the exploitation of their loyalty.
On the first day of Mr. Nketiah’s campaign tour, he visited eight communities across four constituencies, including Offinso North, Offinso South, Afigya Kwabre North, and Afigya Kwabre South.