Poor distribution of campaign cash caused NDC defeat – Kwesi Botchwey

The lack of proper distribution of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Election 2016 campaign funds, was one of the major causes of the party’s humiliating defeat at the polls, Chairman of the NDC Election defeat fact-finding committee, Prof. Kwesi Botchway has identified.

According to him, the situation where structures at the base level of the party didn’t receive funds to prosecute an effective campaign, greatly worked against the electoral fortunes of the NDC.

The NDC then in power during the 2016 general elections arguably ran the most expensive election campaign in the country’s history.

Some political analysts bemoaned there was open ostentation that characterized the campaign with huge sums of monies doled out to the various mushroom campaign groups whose activities were not in sync with the national campaign, while recognized structures at the base level which needed funds to run the campaign were denied of money.

However, at the end of what some described as an opulent campaign, the NDC was defeated heavily at the end of the election as then NPP Presidential Candidate Akufo-Addo garnered 5, 716, 609 votes, representing 53.84 percent to snatch the presidency from former President John Mahama who secured 4,713,277 votes, representing 44.40 percent.

The NDC also lost more than 40 parliamentary seats to the NPP, which gave the latter majority in Parliament. Akufo-Addo won the election after a third term bid.

Speaking on Si Mi So on Kasapa FM Monday evening, Prof. Botchwey told Host Akwesi Nsiah that the poor distribution of campaign funds ensured that it was extremely difficult to even get transportation for party supporters to the various constituencies to vote during the elections.

“Contrary to the perception that NDC is a rich party, I can tell you that the issue of campaign money distribution caused the NDC a lot in the 2016 election. Several places across the country I visited with the fact-finding team, we realized that campaign funds never got to them. A large number of polling agents who worked for the party during the elections have still not been paid.”