The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Mustapha Gbande says the New Patriotic Party has no locus where winning the Assin-North by-election is concerned.
According to him, the people of Assin-North have lost all goodwill for the NPP following years of neglect by the party thus precipitating the ruling government’s sudden interest in completing developmental projects in the constituency in the run-up to the by-election.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he stated that he is certain the constituency will retain the NDC’s embattled Gyakye Quayson as their member of parliament.
“Going into the election, clearly you have seen the number of machines that the government have tried moving into Assin-North and you have seen the reaction of the people because the people are saying that you cannot repeat the game you played in Kumawu here and that throughout the period of seven years you’ve not done anything.
“You have told the whole world that there is no money in Ghana suddenly you have found money to come and construct roads and that we think is a scam. Nana B and his government are trooping there sending resources from wherever they found it suddenly… so if you look at the things Gyakye Quayson has done in Assin-North put together, it is way more than the Nana Addo led regime has done,” he said.
He added that the NPP due to their loss of goodwill are currently trying to field a candidate who has no allegiance to the Assin-North constituency but yet is popular among the people in order to win the election.
He said their tactic will fall flat.
“The NPP hasn’t got a locus in that constituency as far as winning this election is concerned and that that is why they will bring a stranger who has no allegiance in that constituency, who is popular than the party itself thinking that they can use him to win.
“But the people are saying the we elected our MP, he represented us, we have a good relationship with them, you’re trying to use foul ways, you’re trying to use injustice , you’re trying to use political systems and government systems to remove him from parliament and that we are going to vote him. He’s a credible person for us, he has a good relationship with us and we’re going to vote him.”
However, reacting to the statements, the NPP’s Organising Secretary, Henry Nana Boakye, said the claims by Mustapha Gbande are not factual.
He also debunked claims that the NPP has neglected the area saying that the ruling government is set to commission 112 projects in the area.
“In all, all the projects, all the interventions we’ve done are 112. For the 32 kilometer road His Excellency the President is going to commission it.”
He noted that while the NPP had lost the 2020 parliamentary elections in the Assin-North constituency, the indigenes had voted massively for their presidential candidate.
This he says is proof that the NPP still has goodwill in the area and will ensure that that goodwill translates into electoral votes in the by-election.
“So you see the Assin-North, yes indeed His Excellency the President won the presidential [election] that shows the love for the NPP. The constituency, local dynamics can come into play. Any constituency elections local dynamics can come into play anytime. But when your president, or your presidential candidate wins, it tells you the love they have for the party.
“And I’m telling you the love they have for the party is going to translate into the votes this time around. I admit we had one or two internal issues during the 2020 elections, all of these issues have been resolved and I’m telling you with the kind of interventions we have executed in Assin North, trust me, the NDC cannot stand. We are going to win this election hands down, we have taken over,” he said.
