Leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) dominant victory in the just ended 2024 elections was not due solely to the party’s campaign message, but also the widespread dissatisfaction among Ghanaians with the leadership of the Akufo-Addo led administration.
Referencing the outcome of the 2016 elections, Ayariga argued that many voters turned to the opposition as a response to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) perceived failure to meet the expectations of the people.
Mr. Ayariga, who was delivering remarks during a courtesy call on President-elect John Dramani Mahama by some minority political parties in Accra, noted that the dissatisfaction prompted many Ghanaians to shift their support to the NDC, even though they were not entirely convinced by their campaign strategies.
“We have to take this cue and this precedent to know that the 2024 election was not won just by the campaign of the NDC alone but by the displeasure of many Ghanaians who did not see leadership from the NPP,” he told the president-elect.
Mr. Ayariga urged the incoming president to deliver when he takes office as that was the surest way to guarantee multi-party democracy in years to come.
“If you look at the elections this time around the voter apathy has gone up. Huge. Many Ghanaians didn’t want to vote again. They are not interested in politics anymore,” the political leader bemoaned.
Voter apathy had been a major concern before the election and the turnout did little to assuage it. The Electoral Commission revealed that the voter turnout at this year’s polls stood at 60.9%, the lowest it has been in decades.
Mr. Agyariga also emphasized that, the election results reflected a broader sentiment of disappointment with the ruling party and urged the incoming NDC administration to focus on delivering real solutions to the challenges faced by Ghanaians rather than relying on voter discontent as a means to gain power.
