The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is predicted to gain 18 more seats in Parliament, according to the most recent research on potential outcomes of the 2024 parliamentary election, which was completed at the end of August, according to Nana Ayew Afriye, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effiduase/Asokore in the Ashanti Region.
He claims that the research showing the NPP will win more seats in the mining zones is known to the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party.
"God has placed us as number one because He wants us to win. The voice of the people is the voice of God. God speaks through us.
"And the research that was done as of last week shows that if voting were to happen, NPP would gain 18 more seats. That is why they have risen up in Accra to bring confusion. But no matter what, the elections will happen.
"Small-scale mining is different from what the Togolese and Burkinabes that the NDC has imported into the country to mine," the medical doctor turned politician said.
The lawmaker, in a video shared on social media by GHOne TV, believes this is the reason why the NDC, seeing defeat staring at it, has resorted to allegedly importing foreign nationals to engage in illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as 'galamsey on river bodies,' in a bid to destabilize areas known for their support for the NPP.
Nana Ayew Afriye further emphasized that the NPP is committed to tackling the problem, stating that efforts are underway to stop illegal mining on water bodies while allowing legitimate small-scale miners to operate.
He distinguished between local miners and what he described as foreign operatives allegedly brought into the country by the NDC.
"...But we are going after them. The operation that we started this week, we will make sure that we get such people. They saw that we were winning the seats in the mining areas, so they decided to go and import foreigners to mine on our river bodies. Has water become a problem?
"Is it not just this one month? Someone is behind all this just to make us stop the galamseyers and lose our seats, but we will not stop them today or tomorrow. What we will stop is those mining on the river bodies," he added.
Nana Ayew Afriye also warned against attempts by opposition forces to create confusion ahead of the elections, reiterating that the NPP would not be deterred from its fight against illegal mining.
In recent weeks, the fight against galamsey has intensified, with growing calls from citizens for the government to take decisive action. Various groups, including Democracy Hub, have led protests to demand an end to illegal mining activities, with some demonstrators facing legal consequences for their actions.
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