Keep insults out of your campaign-Suhum chief urges NDC

 The Chief of Suhum, Osabarima Ayeh Kofi I, has advised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party to keep insults out of its campaign and focus its messages on its achievements.

With increasing concerns about the vile propaganda on campaign platforms as the country heads to the December elections, Osabarima Ayeh said the party’s messages should be about its plans for the country.

“There is a significant minority who are sitting on the fence and carefully watching your actions so they can make a decision come December 7, 2020,” the chief said when the running mate of the NDC, Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman paid a courtesy call on him.

In August, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Mahama told the clergy that his party will not engage in insults and name-calling as it campaigns for the upcoming elections.

Mr Mahama said the NDC has taken note of countless attacks from its opponents on its members especially against his running mate, Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

But Mr Mahama has come under criticism for sharing a Facebook post made by Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo, which described President Nana Akufo-Addo and some of his appointees as “Akyem Sakawa Mafia.”

Worried members of the clergy also want the country’s political parties to tone down the insults.

In August, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Rev Father Lazarus Anondee, accused the two major political parties of engaging in name-calling and politics of insult.

“I think that both parties are guilty of it. it’s not just the candidates, it’s the parties. You don’t need to vilify anybody in order to win votes, you rather have to win the other person with superior arguments,” he said at a meeting with the president.

Prof Opoku-Agyemang speaks

Prof Opoku-Agyemang is rounding up a five-day tour of the Eastern Region where she is communicating the party’s manifesto and providing further clarity on the NDC’s plan for nation-building.

Making a case for the NDC, the vice-presidential candidate said the next NDC administration would focus on inclusive development as it had done in the past.

“We will not put anyone on the sidelines based on tribe, party affiliation and so on,” she added.

Earlier, the National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, noted that the NDC was an ally of farmers and market women and was focused on developments that affected people at the grassroots.

In that regard, he said the NDC would “build modern markets across the country, according to the size of towns.

NDC in Eastern Region

The NDC has six out of the 33 parliamentary seats in the Eastern Region namely, Afram Plains, North and South, Yilo Krobo, Lower Manya Krobo and Upper West Akim constituencies.

The Eastern Region the home region of the President Nana Akufo-Addo is one of the strongholds of the ruling, New Patriotic Party.

But with the incumbent four-term MP for Suhum, Fredrick Opare-Ansah, out of the reckoning in the 2020 polls, the NDC is hoping to snatch the seat it lost to the NPP 20 years ago.

Year	NDC vs NPP	Votes
2016	Fredrick Opare-Ansah Julius Debrah	24,046 23658
2012	Fredrick Opare-Ansah Margaret Ansei	24,046 23,658
2008	Fredrick Opare-Ansah Samuel Fleicher-Kwabi	17,248 15,824
2004	Fredrick Opare-Ansah Julius Debrah	21,720 17,125
2000	Ransford Agyapong Julius Debrah	16,494 12,368
1996	Solomon Kojoe Akwetey (NDC) Ransford Agyepong(NPP)	18,181 12,907.