Nana Akufo-Addo
The Volta4Change (V4C) group has finally endorsed the candidature of Nana Akufo-Addo, the presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
A statement issued and signed by Messrs Abraham Futukpor, Eyram Doe, Kwame Ashiabi and Wilson Marfo Kpakpladja, leading members of the group said, “To vote for John Mahama en masse like we continually do for the NDC will be tantamount to a regional suicide.
“Volta4Change, after a careful review of all the alternatives available as president of our dear country, have decided to endorse and support the candidature of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” they stated.
The endorsement by the group comes on the heels of concerns raised by the Agbogbomefia of Asogli and President of Volta Region House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) had taken its supposed political ‘World Bank,’ for granted and showed gross disrespect to the chiefs and people.
Issues
According to the group, “It is a myth that the NDC is ‘for’ the Volta Region because if they truly are, they would not have allowed the Volta Region to be the morass of decay and degradation that it currently is and the fact that the founder of the NDC, who left office 16 years ago, hails from our region, does not automatically make them a party that has or will look after our interests.
“Assuming without admitting that we vote NDC because of its founder, it is common knowledge that the founder has persistently chastised the John Mahama government as being highly corrupt and fraught with people of questionable characters who are unfit to be leaders,” they emphasized.
Instead, they noted that “John Mahama sees us as a guaranteed perpetual source of votes, even when we have been neglected. Indeed, we have been described as the “World Bank” of the NDC, yet they have no incentive to provide our region with the support that it gravely needs.”
The leaders of the V4C group noted that “no matter how bad things get in the Volta Region or they treat us, they will still be voted for.
“This mentality must change because we have been taken for granted for far too long and John Mahama is not fit to govern our nation.
“John Mahama does not deserve our votes and we must ensure that Mahama and his band of corrupt cronies are booted out of office. The NDC cannot be allowed to continue to wreak havoc on our region, paying lip-service to development whilst in reality, they are doing nothing to improve the lot of our people.
Reason
“With John Mahama’s record of non-achievement in our region, it would be an absolute travesty if we elect him to continue to accelerate the rot that has spread through every district in the Volta Region like a malignant cancer.
“For us Voltarians, the 2016 general election boils down to one issue – what future do we want for our region.
They insisted that “for eight years, the NDC has achieved nothing worthy of note and its performance, both nationally and regionally, has been woeful to say the least.
“We owe John Mahama nothing. To those that continue to vote for the NDC out of a misplaced sense of ‘tribal loyalty,’ ask yourself, whether or not your life has changed for the better within the eight years of this NDC government since “inflation, dumsor, dilapidation of infrastructure and corruption have followed John Mahama like a putrid smell. In this year’s elections, our votes will be decided on issues and issues only.”
“After eight years of incompetence and mismanagement, it is time for us to deliver our verdict on the reign of destruction and boot them out of office,” they insisted.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu