The Member of Parliament for Builsa South and ranking member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Clement Apaak, says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will not be complacent in the wake of the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
The EIU in its report released on Friday, April 28, 2023, predicted that the NDC is likely to win both the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana in the 2024 polls.
“The NDC, therefore, stands a strong chance of winning the 2024 presidential poll and securing a legislative majority,” EIU noted.
The Unit cited poor governance and economic hardship as being, largely, the deciding factors for the expected voting patterns.
Speaking on the Big Issue on Citi TV with Selorm Adonoo, Dr. Apaak indicated that the party will not rest on its oars but will rather be guided by the report to work assiduously to win the 2024 general elections.
The MP said the EIU’s report drummed home the very issues the NDC has been hammering on which sought to seek a better change for Ghanaians.
“This EIU report is something we can look at and discuss, we in the NDC have always questioned reports whether they are in favour of us or not for good reasons. We believe that our success is going to be based on our hard work and the credible alternatives that we provide, as far as the people of Ghana are concerned.
He reiterated, “So if within that context a report comes out, and says the very same issues we have identified as very critical to the wellbeing of the people and are looking to help address. Are the issues going to drive the elections than our own thinking, then our position is in consonance with what the report says. We are not going to prioritise what a report says versus the work that we need to do to ensure that we are successful. I will say that we will use the report as a guide, because victory is not just going to be handed to us, we have to fight for it. We must put in the maximum efforts to get maximum returns. We will not sit back and relax because of the report”.
The legislator entreated NDC members to demonstrate to Ghanaians that they are a better alternative and not to place too much premium on the report.
“We have to demonstrate to the good people of Ghana why we are a better alternative. We have to demonstrate to them what we can do differently, by pointing out the colossal failure of the current NPP government. The report talks about the DDEP and all the economic challenges that we know. So we wouldn’t give too much premium to the report. But what we are going to do is to intensify our efforts and our work because nothing comes for free,” Dr. Apaak underscored.
Reacting to the part where the report said the NDC could also choose to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate, the legislator argued that former President Mahama is more attractive today to Ghanaians than he was during the 2016 polls.
“That is their rendition, we don’t believe that because we know the candidate we expect to emerge as the flagbearer, he’s viable, credible. In the current scheme of things, Ghanaians are not looking to try a candidate. Former President Mahama is more attractive today to Ghanaians than he was in 2016 due to the basis of how recklessly the government has mismanaged the economy. Ghanaians now know the difference. Most of the things said about him were lies and false,” he stated.
