We are not propaganda tools for your campaign – Gonjaland NPP to Mahama
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Gonjaland in the Savannah Region has expressed worry about the continuous disrespect for the people of the area by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama by peddling falsehood geared towards getting their votes.
According to the group, all the former president cares about is to get the votes of the people of his homeland forgetting how he chose to neglect Gonjaland during his time as president.
A statement released on Thursday and signed by Mohammed Issah, Director of Communications for the NPP in the Savannah Region said the NDC flagbearer has adopted a strategy of engaging in relentless propaganda for partisan political gains.
“The presidential candidate of the opposition NDC, Mr Mahama, has lived his word as destined. He has successfully executed his long-held tactic of falsifying every National agenda for partisan political gains. Mr. Mahama’s penchant for falsehood appears to have peaked in recent times.
A statesman is expected to be measured in putting out anything that is presented to him. Much so when you have a group of serial liars who have professed in manufacturing tales in recent times around you. A gang of individuals who lie as though they were cursed to do so,” the statement said.
The group is therefore calling on the former president to treat the people of Gonjaland with the respect it deserves.
The statement added, “But we the people of Gonjaland say candidate Mahama must credit us with some modicum of respect and intellect. We cannot be disrespected in this manner at all times. It is so far clear, that candidate Mahama sees us in Gonjaland as election winning machines but not to develop us.”
According to the NPP Savannah Region Director of Communications, claims by Mr. Mahama that the new administration had abandoned a Community Day Senior High School (SHS) started by his administration in the region are inaccurate as the Akufo-Addo government completed the project far back in 2018.
“In the Central Gonja District, Mpaha to be specific, candidate Mahama palpably lied to the cameras after visiting a fully completed Community Day SHS he left uncompleted. Mr Mahama claimed the project he spent four good years to do just about 50% was one of the abandoned projects of his past incompetent government. Even the sight of the fully completed structure could not prevent candidate Mahama from changing his well-rehearsed lie. Mr. Mahama commissioned a few Community Day SHSs that were not anywhere closer to what he saw in Mpaha.
For the records, the Community Day SHS in Mpaha was never abandoned as claimed by candidate Mahama. At the time NDC was leaving office, the project had stalled for some months and was a little over 50% complete. By September 2018, the school was completed and ready to take its first batch of students but for an error from Computerized School Selection and Placement (CSSP) secretariat.
Twelve (12) Teachers were posted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) Headquarters to the School and were introduced to the community by the DCE for Central Gonja District and the management of GES in the District. The Teachers were reassigned within the District in view of the stated error of the CSSP,” Issah explained.
The Mpaha Community Day SHS, he observed, is set to take on new students for the 2019/2020 academic year, hence it is erroneous for Mr. Mahama who failed to complete one in the area to turn round and accuse Akufo-Addo’s government of having abandoned the project while in reality, it is not so.
“For any candidate, who claims to be a son of the land, but failed to complete and put to use a single Community Day SHS in his home Region to come back with such lies to his own people after all the votes he enjoyed from us is so repugnant. Is it not shameful, that in 2016, about 20 of such schools were completed and put to use across the country without a single one coming from the home Region of the then President Mahama? Is it not insulting to return to your own people who have voted consistently for you and your immediate family with such lies?”
The NPP further accused Mr. Mahama of not doing anything to provide potable water to Damango, the biggest city in his home region but goes ahead to accuse the current government which has put things in place to get water for the people of the area.
The party also accused the largest opposition party of having abandoned some projects in the area; the Salaga Ultra-Modern District Hospital, the affordable housing project in Sanzirgu, a suburb of Tamale as well as the Kukuo ultra-Morden market started by the Kufuor administration.
“It is abundantly clear, that Mr. Mahama did not only waste the time of the Chiefs and people of Gonjaland, but also that of the entire nation. Candidate Mahama has proven his critics right. He has confirmed the long-held notion, that He is incapable of providing any superior solutions to the myriad of problems confronting us as a people. Mr Mahama is a deception and cannot do anything better than the tales told,” the statement said.