NPP hopes of winning six seats in Volta is a mirage – NDC Regional Secretary

Mr Francis Ganyaglo, Volta Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday dismissed as a “mirage”, the hopes of the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) of winning at least six constituencies in the region in the December elections.

“It is a rumble in a cloudless sky that would produce no precipitation,” he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview.

The prediction by NPP was at the launch of its 19-member regional campaign monitoring team last Thursday, to kick-start serious organisation in the region, which appears to be without much political activity.

Mr Ganyaglo recalled similar predictions by NPP in the run-up to the 2004 elections in which it won only one seat out of 22 in the region.

“That seat – Nkwanta-North Constituency we, would take back because we have identified and rectified shortcomings that led to that defeat,” he assured all supporters.

Regarding impressions that not much campaigning was going on in the region, Mr Ganyaglo explained that the NDC strategy had changed and somewhat less visible now.

“What we are doing now is retail campaigning, where activists move from location to location,” he said, adding that the big rallies that were now missing would be organised later.

He said the thrust of the NDC message was investing in the people, ensuring human rights, improving the economy, stopping selective justice and ensuring security for all.

Mr Ganyaglo said preparations were underway to hold primaries in the Ho-Central, Keta, and Ave-Avenor constituencies to make NDC fully battle ready.

An Electoral Commission’s publication about the region said in 2004 the NDC got 83.8 per cent votes in the presidential balloting, won 21 seats, while NPP had 14.3 per cent of the votes and a single parliamentary seat.

It was difficult to verify the state of preparedness of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in the region as their offices were closed when the Ghana News Agency visited last Friday.

The CPP in the Volta Region is bogged down by leadership crises.

When contacted, Mr Manfred Nuku-Dei, Volta Regional Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) said the party was now holding its primaries, after which it would come out fully to campaign for votes.