According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party may be struggling to find individuals of reputable standing and capability to lead the party into the 2024 parliamentary elections. In the Bongo and Bolgatanga constituencies, for example, the party has no individual who can stand against the NDC and its candidates.
This is according to Jonathan Abdallah Salifu, the Upper East Regional Communication Officer for the NDC. Mr. Abdallah Salifu said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show today.
“Looking at what is going on, I have been saying that there are some constituencies where they have no candidates at all in this coming general election; a constituency like Bongo, a constituency like Bolgatanga. Who are they going to present? There’s nobody.”
“People do not want to contest, but they are forcing them. We [the NDC] have retired them but I do not know, it is like they want to bring back the retirees. This is a fact,” he said.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), has expressed some disquiet about the statement from the RCO of the NDC.
When Peter Ayinbisa, the Communication Director for the NPP in the Upper East Region spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, he mentioned that the NDC is in no position to determine whether or not the NPP has candidates for the stated areas.
“I want to assure my good friend Abdallah that there is no doubt about our ability to produce a good candidate for the constituency,” he said.
Mr. Ayinbisa was also unhappy about the suggestion made by Mr. Abdallah Salifu that some individuals who had been forced into political retirement due to their non-performance are being forced back to contest, saying, “who are those being forced back. He should provide the evidence. Who is being forced back? Also, who has been retired by who?”
He continued to say, “as for Parliament, there is no limit. Anytime you want to, you can take a break and come back.”
The Regional Communication Director for the NPP warned the NDC and encouraged them to look for winnable candidates because the 2024 general election would be tough. Mr. Ayinbisa stated that but for the intervention of some key personalities, Edward Bawa, MP for Bongo, would have lost the seat to the NPP; a situation likely to happen in 2024.
“I want to encourage my friend Abdallah and the NDC to better look for winnable candidates for those two constituencies; Bongo and Bolgatanga. We are coming out much stronger than before. In the 2020 election in Bongo, they saw that the election was becoming tough for them. If not for the likes of Professor Akabzak and other individuals, Edward Bawa would have lost that seat. He is very much aware of that. Things were difficult for him. 2024, it is going to be extremely difficult for him. We are going to have a very strong candidate for Bolga as well,” he said.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
