Former President John Dramani Mahama’s ongoing campaign tour of the Western Region is attracting flak as delegates complain that his message lacks the kind of focus that delegates are looking for.
“During Mr. Mahama’s days in office as President, the NDC party, its Founder and grassroots were neglected leading to the massive apathy that led to the party losing the 2016 election by over 900,000 votes.
Delegates therefore expect that the former President’s message will address these, but so far, they have not touched on these very important issues,” a leading member and a delegate of the NDC in the Evalue Ajomoro Gwira constituency said in an interview.
According to Mr. Frank Somiah Andoh, a former director of elections and an executive member of Captain Ackah’s house branch the lack of those reassuring ingredients in Mr. Mahama’s addresses during a stopover in the constituency has left many of the delegates disappointed and disarmed of the fervor that is needed for the 2020 election.
The former President’s ongoing tour of the region made stops at Ellembelle, Tarkwa and Prestea Huni Valley constituencies recently.
“Delegates in Prestea here were full of expectation for comforting reassurance that the neglect that they suffered under Mahama from 2012 to 2016 will not be repeated if he is made flagbearer again and subsequently voted into power. However, all that the former President did was to ask the delegates to rally up in support of him,” Mr. Somiah-Andoh said.
He added that, “Mr. Mahama also did not even make room for questions to be asked by the delegates.”
Apparently, he said, the former President was in hurry to just touch base in the constituencies and rush away.
A similar thing is said to have happened when the former President met delegates at Prestea Huni Valley. Here, the delegates were even said to have sat through a lecture by Mr. Mahama and then sent off without even refreshment.
“Many of our brothers and sisters travelled from far places to the meeting grounds but were left on their own without anything to even aid them by way of transportation back to where they came from. It was very embarrassing for many of them because they had to beg for transportation,” Daniel Mawuli Agbesi, the party’s Mpohor Constituency Communication Officer said.
It has been generally observed that the former President’s campaign has taken a very off-standish vibe nowadays, with Mr. Mahama neglecting to speak to issues of the neglect of the party and its members when he was President when he meets delegates.
The lack of attention to those issues which engendered massive apathy within the NDC during the 2016 election has since been signaling to delegates that the neglect by Mahama will be repeated if he is made flagbearer and subsequently elected President.
In contrast, all the other flagbearership aspirants of the party have been addressing the issue of the neglect of the party and its members.
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Peacefmonline
