The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said most of the first-term New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament were defeated in the party’s parliamentary primaries as a result of the government’s ‘abysmal performance”.
Speaking at the NDC’s Weekly Press Briefing on Monday, the NDC’s National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi said even members of the governing party are disappointed in their own party’s performance.
He insisted that the Akufo-Addo government failed to undertake developmental projects in constituencies represented by the party’s first term MPs hence their defeat over the weekend.
“Our checks have revealed that many first-time MPs lost their seats because no developmental projects have been undertaken in their constituencies in the last three and half years. This is a clear indication that even NPP supporters are generally unhappy with the abysmal performance of their own government, and have invited the rest of Ghanaians to reject this nonperforming, nepotistic and corrupt Akufo-Addo government.”
“It is pretty obvious, even to the uninitiated, that but for the undemocratic imposition of some 65 incumbent Members of Parliament by the powers that be in the NPP, the situation would have been worse,” Sammy Gyamfi said.
The NPP held primaries on Saturday, June 20, 2020, for constituencies it has sitting Members of Parliament.
The primaries saw 40 sitting NPP MPs losing their re-election bids.
“In all, over 40 incumbent MPs, including eleven (11) Parliamentary Select Committee Chairmen, four (4) Parliamentary Select Committee Vice-Chairmen, two (2) Regional Ministers, one (1) Minister of State and three (3) Deputy Ministers of State, lost their seats. The defeat of so many incumbents, especially those in Parliamentary leadership, shows that the NPP delegates voted for change and passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence in their own government,” Sammy Gyamfi insisted.
Recently, the NDC rated NPP 14 percent in the delivery of promises it made prior to the 2016 general elections.
Per its “thorough analysis”, the NDC held that the government had delivered 86 out of its apparent 631 promises.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu legislator, who led the presentation said the fulfilment of the NPP’s promises was woeful despite the NDC’s leniency.
NPP broke COVID-19 protocols during its primaries
NDC also accused the NPP of violating COVID-19 safety protocols during the exercise.
Mr. Sammy Gyamfi said these actions have rendered the COVID-19 restriction laws counterproductive.
“The alarming level of vote-buying and opulence we saw in the NPP this time around is unprecedented. We have never seen this level of ostentation in our body politics before and that should give every democracy-loving Ghanaian, genuine cause of concern. Even more bizarre were reports of how social distancing, wearing of face masks, and other critical COVID-19 preventive protocols we denied and thrown to the dogs as delegates congregated in their numbers, mingled and interacted, including wild jubilation in the full glare of the police who are supposed to enforce the law.”