10 communities in Twifo Atti-Morkwa to boycott 2020 elections over bad roads

Natives of about 10 communities in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the central Region are threatening to boycott the 2020 general elections due to the bad nature of roads in the area.

The communities are Twifo Binponagye, Twifo Cannia, Twifo Odumasi- Sekyere, Twifo Nsuakye, Twifo Binponsu, Twifo Kwankyemasu, Twifo Germanfom, Twifo Dwendama, and Twifo Tailorsu.

According to the residents of these farming communities, the Akufo-addo-led government has neglected them and denied them of their fair share of the national cake.

The Chief farmer in the area, Mr Ibrahim Owu who lamented the deplorable nature of the feeder roads indicated that the bad roads network has negatively affected their daily activities. He also said the residents most of whom are farmers find it difficult to transport their farm produce to urban centres to sell them.

Mr Owu disclosed that their efforts to draw the attention of the District Chief Executive and the Member of Parliament to their plights have proven futile.

“We have informed our DCE to help get the roads graded but he hasn’t come to our aid…From Praso to Bimponsu to Nsuakyi and Gyamanfom, for instance, is very terrible such that we can’t go to the market to sell our farm. We are really suffering because when it rains we have to stay here with our farm produce and see them rot,” he lamented.

To him, the people, although live in an NDC stronghold, they voted for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2016 because the Akufo-Addo campaign team promised to fix the roads when voted into power but nothing has been done almost 3 years after the NPP government took over.

“We voted against the NDC to bring this government but the government hasn’t shown love to these communities just as we showed them during the elections,” Mr Owu added. “We have called on our MP [for Twifo Atti-Morkwa], Hon.Abraham Dwuma Odoom to help us but he has not attended to us.”

Narrating their frustrations, Queen Mother of Nsuakyi, Nana Afua Duroba I, said maternal mortalities have been recorded in the area because women in labour find it difficult to get to health facilities on time.

“Because of the dilapidated roads, vehicles don’t ply our roads and sometimes when somebody is sick and needs urgent medical attention we lose them because nobody wants to use the roads with their cars,” Nana Duroba I recounted as she appealed to the MP of the area and the government to come to their aid.

Some residents who narrated their ordeal vowed to get everyone in the area to boycott the 2020 elections.

“Since the NPP government and our MP have refused to listen to us and solve this challenge we won’t entertain their campaign in 2020,” one of the women said.