NDC accuses Sagnarigu NPP parliamentary candidate of ‘stealing’ and ‘claiming’ government projects

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Sagnarigu Constituency, Felicia Tettey, of “stealing” and “claiming” government projects in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region.

The opposition party said it is “dishonest and outrageous” for the NPP parliamentary candidate to claim that the assembly’s planned distribution of school furniture and streetlight bulbs to selected basic schools in the Sagnarigu constituency was her initiative.

The NDC clarified that “the District Assembly common fund is funding this project, and no individual, not even the Municipal Chief Executive, can claim credit for it.”

Addressing the media in Sagnarigu on Thursday, Abdulai Mohammed Amin, NDC Sagnarigu Constituency Communications Officer, claimed that Felicia’s attempt to personalize the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly project was part of a scheme to boost her political standing ahead of the upcoming general election.

“This brazen attempt to mislead the public and manipulate the truth for electoral gain is unacceptable, and we will not stand idly by while such deceitful tactics are employed,” he noted.

Mohammed Amin said this was not the parliamentary candidate's first attempt to “claim” central government projects as hers.

He said, “Similar false claims have been made regarding World Bank-funded projects in the constituency, such as the construction of the 2.1 km road from Kpalsi to Dimala, the Jisonaayili market, and the Katariga-Dungu road.”

“We want the good people of the Sagnarigu constituency to know that Felicia Tettey has no involvement in these projects. She is merely trying to bask in the glow of her party being in power, attempting to falsely associate herself with achievements she had no part in bringing about,” he added.

He explained that “On September 25, 2018, in Washington, DC, the World Bank approved a $261 million project through the International Development Association (IDA) to scale up development initiatives in 35 secondary cities across Ghana, with Sagnarigu Municipal and Yendi Municipal Assemblies being among the beneficiaries. The approval of these funds predates Felicia Tettey's emergence as the NPP's parliamentary candidate in the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, making it crystal clear that she had absolutely no involvement in securing these projects.”

SOCO Projects:

The NDC communications officer also described as false the alleged claims by the NPP parliamentary candidate that she is funding some projects under the recently launched Ghana Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project.

He mentioned the installation of multiple boreholes, the construction of the Nangbagu Yapala animal market, and the ongoing development of an astroturf at Sagnarigu Hilaliya Primary School as some of the projects the NPP candidate was allegedly claiming to be funding.

“It is crucial to highlight that seven other districts in the Northern Region—namely Gushegu, Karaga, Saboba, Tatale, Yendi, and Tamale Metropolitan Assemblies—are also beneficiaries of these projects. At this juncture, one must question: has Felicia Tetey somehow managed to lobby for these other districts to be included as beneficiaries as well? he questioned.