NDC’s 2016 campaign message was old-fashioned – Spio-Garbrah

A former Minister of Trade and Industry under the erstwhile Mahama administration, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has said the National Democratic Congress (NDC ) presented an old-fashioned campaign style in their quest to seek for second term in the 2016 elections.

Commenting on the Prof Kwesi Botchwey's report on Good Evening Ghana with Paul Adom Otchere, the former ambassador to the United States and Mexico, said the NDC had challenges in presenting its campaign messages to the electorates ahead of the 2016 polls.

He said, whilst the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was sloganeering their messages to the electorates for them to remember easily, the NDC was presenting messages which were archaic and non-appealing to the electorates.

“Whereas the NPP I think they did a good job of sloganeering; packaging their messages in an easy to remember rhyme (one district one factory, one village one dam) which is also forward looking i.e. if you vote for us these are the things we will do for you in the future. In contrast, our communication was more or less backward looking i.e. these are the things we’ve done for you. (We’ve built roads, we’ve hospitals, we’ve built schools, and we’ve built bridges) so please vote for us again,” he explained.

The flagbearer hopeful alluded the party’s defeat to political organisation thus the manner the party organised its campaign teams was a great challenge.

“To what extent the hierarchy was involved in holding and managing the campaign versus other alternate and parallel groups which has been created either by individuals to secure some resources and claim they were campaigning for the president?” he asked.

Touching on his presidential ambition, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah rejected the assertion that, he has no Constituency or base in the NDC, which might affect his presidential ambition.

He explained that there are various interest groups such as chiefs, religious groups, youth groups, women groups, businessmen among others, who may share his ideas and vote for him at the party’s congress, insisting that these groups could also form his base.

He also said women form part of his constituency since he gets along with them.

“I get along with women, I have 8 sisters you know,” the former Minister told Paul Adom-Otchere.