The governing National Democratic Congress’ target to win 13 parliamentary seats in the Ashanti Region in the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections is “unrealistic,” and a mere “political talk”, Dr Edward Brenya, a political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has said.
Dr Brenya said although the NDC can make some inroads in the main opposition New Patriotic Party’s traditional stronghold, history is not in favour of the governing party as far as winning that number of seats is concerned.
President Mahama, who is seeking re-election for his second and final four-year term has been touring the region and assuring supporters of the NDC and Ghanaians in general that the party is confident of adding nine seats to its current four in the region.
Already, the party has set a target to garner 1.5 million votes in the region.
But speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM on Monday, 7 November, Dr Brenya said “this target is not realistic, it is just a political talk.”
“Although President Mahama has done some work as far as infrastructure is concerned, Ghanaians are not feeling the developments in their pocket and this situation that can affect the votes of the governing party. Yes, you (President Mahama) have constructed the Sofoline interchange but the people do not feel it in their pocket.”
He, however, noted that apathy within the NPP and the strategic election of the NDC’s parliamentary candidates in the region would help to shore up the party’s electoral fortunes in Ashanti but not in any substantial way.
Meanwhile, the NPP has described the target as a joke. A senior member of the party in the region, Mr George Ayisi Boateng said: “He [President Mahama] is joking with the target. I will be surprised if the NDC gets 2 seats in the region.”
“What work has he done in the region to win those seats? School Feeding Programmme has collapsed; Metro Mass Transit and National Health Insurance Scheme have all collapsed. Businesses are collapsing because of power outages. He claims he has solved it but we are still experiencing it. I am not the one saying all these. Go out there and speak with Ghanaians, speak with pregnant women who visit the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and find out whether the NHIS is working”.
“We will uproot him from power like cassava in the elections; Ghanaians are yearning to see Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP in power in order to deal with these problems that John Mahama has visited on them. President Mahama’s administration has been characterised by lies and deceit, I don’t even know the kind of politician he is,” he told Chief Jerry Forson.
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