'Our information is not getting to the grassroots' – NDC aspirants

Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Saeed, a Communication Officer hopeful for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper East Region has stated that poor information flow to the grassroots level was a major cause of their 2016 electoral defeat.

According to him, the NDC had “a very good communication team” in the region, but observed that “our information is not getting down well with the people. That is what is lacking,” he emphasized.

Alhaji Saeed said as part of strategies to strengthen the communication structures of the party at the regional, constituency and at the grassroots, he would bring together all party supporters in the region if voted as the Regional Communications officer, and identify good communicators, give them proper orientation on communication to whip up decent communication on the airwaves.

He disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Bolgatanga, adding that “I am planning to get a research centre, where communicators would be meeting daily to deliberate on issues, especially what to say on radio at a particular time, which is very important.”

Alhaji Saeed observed that while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) propagated their messages on youth employment, free education, one village, one dam, among others which encouraged the youth and they bought into the ideas, “we were talking about our achievements and the youth needed hope and assurance.”

He said the Free Senior High School education policy by the ruling NPP government was good because it benefitted people, and was quick to warn party communicators not to rubbish the policy but advised them to argue on the timing and implementation of the policy, which according to him was bad.

“If you go on air and say the policy is bad, you will lose votes because people are benefitting from it, the timing and implementation are very wrong because they do not have a clear policy towards it, and that is why they are finding it very difficult to finance,” Alhaji Saeed said.

He said “when I am given the nod in the region, I will make sure we have a message that will go down to all the constituents, and to all the people, so that when they get our message very well, they will vote for us.”

Alhaji Saeed said he would be instrumental in marketing the party to make it more relevant and attractive, and further galvanise votes and capture power from the ruling NPP, because that was the duty of every communications officer.

According to the aspirant, the NDC had very good manifesto and policies but was unable to disseminate it to the people especially at the grassroots, and recalled that the NDC party communicators only concentrated in the regional capital and failed to bring on board the grassroots.

Alhaji Saeed who refuted claims that the NPP was gradually gaining grounds with its policies in the region appealed to delegates to vote massively for him to turn the fortunes of the party around, through proper communication strategies.

He and is contesting the position with Mr Abdullah Salifu.