Mahama Cries In Volta Over Drop In Votes

It appears all is not well with the National Democratic Congress in the Volta Region under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama as the 2024 flagbearer of the main opposition party is visibly worried over substantial drop in his electoral performance.

Mr. Mahama is troubled that his votes have been dropping in the NDC’s political ‘world bank’ ever since he took over as the leader of the party in 2012, losing 6.6% votes in the region over the period.

He dropped from 91.4% in 2012 to 87.7% in 2016 and further dipped to 84.8% in the 2020 general election.

Apparently expressing grave concern that the Volta region has not been standing solidly behind him, Mr. Mahama pointed out that during the tenure of the late President Jerry John Rawlings, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) barely made any inroads in the region, yet in 2020, they managed to secure 14 per cent of the vote.

This, according to the former President, suggests that the NPP is gradually gaining ground in the region, pleading with the NDC to pay attention to this trend.

Former President Mahama expressed his frustration while addressing party members, the people and chiefs of North Tongu at Juapong during a community engagement as part of his four-day tour of the Volta Region.

According to him, the Volta Region’s designation as the “world bank” of the NDC is not merely about the number of votes the party receives in general elections.

He said this tag is derived from the consistently high percentage of votes the NDC secures in the region during every election cycle.

Mr. Mahama highlighted that the Volta Region consistently delivered the highest percentage of votes for the NDC but noted that the 84 per cent achieved in the 2020 elections was insufficient.

He claimed that the NPP was spreading messages that questioned what the Volta Region had gained by consistently voting for the NDC and urging voters to consider change.

Mr. Mahama however responded to this narrative by stating that most of the development in the Volta Region historically occurred under NDC administrations, while progress often stalled under the NPP.

The NDC flagbearer for the 2024 general election cited examples of stalled projects such as the Juapong-Adidome road, which was approximately 80 per cent completed under the NDC but saw little progress under the NPP.

Other projects, including the Juapong-Kpordoe-Abutia road and the Juapong Textile Factory, according to him, have also faced delays.

Mr Mahama also claimed that most essential amenities in the Volta Region, from infrastructure to social services, had largely been delivered by the NDC.

Operation 94% votes

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, reiterated that the party’s commitment to the region by announcing the launch of “Operation 94 per cent Votes,” ahead of the December 7 polls.

He pointed out that the constituency achieved a 90% vote share for the NDC in 2020 and aimed to surpass this figure in the upcoming elections to secure a resounding victory.

The MP also revealed that awards would be given to polling station executives who achieve the highest vote percentages in the 2024 elections with the goal of surpassing the 2020 success of winning all 154 polling stations in the constituency.