CAGEY MAHAMA STILL BLEEDING OVER VOLTA REGION POOR SHOW
Planning to reconnect with Volta Region for 2024
Thunder Intel Report
Intelligence reports filtering in from our very reliable sources in the opposition National Democratic Congress indicate that, while the litigating goons in the party celebrate their unexpected gains in parliamentary seats, they feel threatened over the spectre of the incumbent New Patriotic Party invading their strongholds and improving their image in areas traditionally considered NDC ‘World Banks.’
It is still not clear what motivated the NDC under John Dramani Mahama, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, and Samuel Ofosu Ampofo to kick out the bigwigs from the Volta Region in the struggle for national executive positions, but the fact remains that, in the effort to sell the NDC to the Akans by offering them positions at constituency, regional and national levels, the NDC failed to calculate that, that move would have a negative effect on the party, particularly in the Volta Regions, considered as the NDC’s traditional ‘World Bank.’
Insider info
A leading member of the party told The Thunder News that, after the NDC sidelined top Anlo bigwigs in the party, the leadership is beginning to realize that they have shot themselves in the foot – with Jerry Rawlings dumping the NDC, but also with top Anlo and other leaders from the Volta Region keeping a low profile in Mahama’s campaign.
In the case of the northern regions, including Savannah, Upper East, and West, etc, however, we are told that the NDC has admitted that the Bawumia factor is a bone in their throat that they must deal with “at all costs.”
With both Peter Kofi Kportufe, national chairman, and Dan Abodakpi, former Trade Minister, eliminated as national party officeholders in the NDC last national congress in 2014, it is interesting that the NDC leadership failed to understand that the stage would be set for a cold war.
Mahama miscalculated that the NDC would sheepishly vote NDC anyway and vote massively anytime constituents were called upon to do party duty during national elections. As it turned out, however, the NDC’s ‘World Bank’ couldn’t hit their traditional ghost figures, succumbing at the end of the elections to the barrage of votes that came in from the Eastern and Ashanti regions to chock the second coming of John Mahama.
Strategizing into the future, The Thunder News sources reveal, the NDC, are exploring ways of reconnecting with the Anlo base in reaching out effectively to other non-Anlo Volta constituencies in returning the Volta Region to the NDC as a World Bank that would fully support the NDC in the region to get back to winning ways and preventing incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from handing over to another NPP government in 2024.
Emissaries
As we went to press yesterday, we learnt that the party leadership was considering sending out emissaries to meet traditional and religious leaders with clout in the region and “beg on behalf of John Mahama for the mistake.”
Besides the diplomatic plea, our intelligence also revealed that Mahama would follow that up with a ‘Thank You Tour’ “that would see durbars being funded and youth groups, including SHS boys and girls, being motivated and enticed to endorse a Mahama 2024 campaign.”
The move will be a follow-up to the John Rawlings funeral in which the NDC and Mahama would also do everything it can to stay visible at the Rawlings funeral through borborbor dance to the point of a political hijack, “should the NPP government play loose,” as one confidant told Thunder.
“He feels threatened, and the only way out is to go back to his mother’s relations and see if smoking a peace pipe may facilitate his 2024 dreams,” a senior cadre and former minister from Anlo told Thunder scouts by telephone.
Trend
The NDC has since 1992 been scoring magic figures in constituencies across the Volta Region and winning hands down seats in the northern regions, leaving the NPP with an average of some 27% from the total northern region constituencies.
Since 2012, however, the NDC’s clutch on the two non-populous regions which paradoxically engineers fabulous figures for the NDC during general elections, is easing as against the record of the NPP, which is improving its stakes, not only in terms of better monitoring and vibrant campaign strategies but also enhanced visibility, improved electoral fortunes, and encouraging figures.
The NPP gains have been credited to the dynamo of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who has since 2012 remained a thorn in the flesh of the NDC for his punchy, but objective communication style.
