In what could be described as a total blitz and invasion, the NPP government led by the Vice President, Dr Bawumia, and the NPP Party led by its National Organizer Sammi Awuku and Youth Organizer Nana Boakye stormed the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency on Saturday and Sunday the 19th and 20th January 2019. Also, 6 am in participation were NPP Volunteer groups led by the Professionals for Change and NPP Loyal Ladies.
The invasion started with a mammoth walk through the principal streets of the constituency led by the Vice President and the NPP candidate for the constituency’s by-election Lydia Alhassan. In attendance were other high profile party and government officials including the Greater Accra Regional Chair and his executives, Deputy Chief of Staff Abu Jinapor, MD of State Housing Company Nana Kwabena Appiah, MD of SIC Life Savings and Loans Ama Frimpongmaa Dwumah, CEO of the Ghana Free Zones Board Michael Kofi Baafi, CEO of the National Youth Authority Emmanuel Asigri among others.
After the walk, The NPP Professionals for Change and the NPP Loyal Ladies, led by the CEO of the Accra Digital Center, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah and Maame Pomaa Sanu set up a post at vantage areas within the constituency delivering free medical supplies and screening to the constituents. The government appointees led by the Vice President also went knocking on doors to solicit for votes for their parliamentary candidate, Lydia Alhassan.
The NDC in desperation not to be outdone by the NPP also scheduled a similar program the next day with former Presidents John Mahama and Jerry John Rawlings ostensibly to highlight it. The event that was scheduled to start at 6am took off around 9 am as the party struggled to mobilize its supporters to participate. With only a handful of participants, Ex-President Mahama abandoned the walk leaving the few party faithful gathered disappointed. Former President Rawlings, however, did not show up at all casting doubt on whether he was even invited to participate. National Youth Organizer of NDC George Opare Addo who organized the event also failed to turn up. Mr Opare Addo latter took to Facebook to mock the NPP for sending their “Loyal Ladies” to wash cars.
John Abu an NDC constituency officer lamented how the party has virtually thrown in the towel for the elections.
“Look at the people here, it’s disgraceful. No notable bigwig is present. Yesterday the NPP had everyone in government apart from the President who was out of the country in our constituency, knocking on doors and campaigning vigorously for votes. When we went to campaign, we were asked where our leaders were. Are they too big to campaign because ministers of state and CEOs have visited them from the NPP in their homes?’’ he lamented.
Joyce Doe on her part asked the party to make it clear if they are not serious about the elections. “Go down the streets. NPP Loyal Ladies have virtually taken over the whole place. They are washing cars and the crowd there is ten times bigger than what we have here. This is because they have ministers and CEOs there directing traffic for people to go and wash their cars free by their young ladies. We do not have a structure like that in our party. I passed there and saw even our hard-core supporters there dancing and having fun with the ladies. Will you blame them if they go and vote for Lydia? I took my car there with NDC stickers all over and they still made me feel so much part of them.’’ she remarked.
The Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency goes into a by-election on January 31, 2019, after the death of their Member of Parliament Emmanuel Agyarko.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
