Francis Asenso-Boakye
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Bantama Constituency, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has said the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2020 elections, former President John Mahama, cannot be trusted to fulfil his campaign pledges.
Addressing a team of campaign volunteer groups for the party in the Bantama Constituency in Kumasi on Monday, the NPP candidate, who doubles as a Deputy Chief of Staff, said, “The record of Mr. Mahama and his NDC in government points to the fact that they cannot be trusted to fulfil their numerous campaign promises, and this must form the basis for their rejection in December.”
“Prior to the 2008 election, one of the flagship promises of the NDC members was to institute a one-time premium of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). But we can all attest to the fact that throughout their eight years in office, they failed to deliver on that promise. So they have a history of unfulfilled promises. That makes it difficult to trust them,” he said.
“For a political party that questioned the possibility and viability of free SHS, isn’t it mindboggling that it is now promising to extend the policy to include private senior high schools?” he asked rhetorically.
Mr. Asenso-Boakye said unlike the NDC, the NPP had fulfilled all of its campaign promises, adding “we have delivered on the free SHS pledge even though John Mahama and the NDC did not believe in it. We have fulfilled One District One Factory pledge, Planting for Food and Jobs, among others.”
He said Ghanaians can trust the NPP when it comes to the fulfilment of campaign pledges, and advised that they should not fall for the ‘lies and deceit’ of the NDC members.
He charged the volunteers to disseminate the numerous achievements of the NPP, saying “the NDC cannot boast of a single policy that transformed the lives of Ghanaians. I challenge them to name just one!”
The Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Osei Assibey Antwi, who was at the programme, refuted claims by NDC functionaries that the NPP government had not done much for the Ashanti Region.
“Under the NDC, most of our roads were in a deplorable state. However, as we all know, Kumasi has seen massive construction of roads and other major projects since the NPP took office, and Bantama is getting its fair share,” he pointed out.
Besides, he expressed appreciation to Mr. Asenso-Boakye for his diverse contributions to the development of the Bantama Constituency, saying “I have lost count of the many development projects you have undertaken in this short period. I am hopeful that you will continue to impact on lives in Bantama and beyond.”
The Regional Director of National Service Scheme, Alex Opoku Mensah, assured the volunteers that as their leaders they would make sure that all logistics needed for the campaign are provided to make their work smooth.