Stop crying wolf in Navrongo, Tangoba lost woefully

A publication on Ghanaweb by some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Navrongo claiming that Kofi Adda campaigned for NDC in the just ended December 7, Parliamentary and Presidential elections to win against NPP and its candidates is not true. The fact is that the NPP and Tangoba lost the elections the very day the party voted Joseph Kofi Adda out during the primaries in June this year.

The group said among other things that J. K. Adda financed a campaign against Tangoba Abayage to ensure she was defeated, strongly campaigned against the NPP and its Parliamentary candidate in the constituency, creating an image problem and eventually debilitating the fortunes of the party in both the Parliamentary and Presidential slots in the just-ended election. The claim is not only shameful but lies to dent the hard-earned image of Mr Adda and to denigrate Mr Chiragia’s massive electoral victory. NPP now needs a miracle to wrestle the seat back from the grassroots man, who has similar or same qualities as the late John Setuni Achuliwor and Joseph Kofi Adda combined.

The fact is that the NPP under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo never won the Navrongo central presidential votes but Mr Adda had always won, an indication that Nana Addo himself is not a marketable candidate in Navrongo. It is important for the justification of the facts, to put out figures since 2008 as performed by the NDC and NPP in Navrongo. In 2008, NPP under the candidature of Nana Addo had 13,867 representing 44.81 per cent and NDC got 14,218 representing 45.91 per cent. In 2012, NDC under former President John Dramani Mahama garnered the highest votes ever of 19,916 representing 59.78 per cent while the NPP had 12,780 representing 38.36 per cent. In 2016, NDC polled 18,810 votes representing 47.19 per cent while NPP got 18,759 representing 47.06 per cent. In the 2020 elections, the NDC had 26,099 representing 61.37 per cent and NPP managed 15,537 representing 36.54 per cent.

Similarly, the Parliamentary contest in the constituency has almost the same trend but with contrasting dynamics. In 1992, late Godfred Abulu went uncontested because the NPP and other parties withdrew from the Parliamentary race. Unfortunately, he died in 1995 and by-elections conducted in July same year and the victory went to late John Setuni Achuliwor, a PNC faithful who later joined the NPP but lost the main contest in 1996 to Mr Clement Bugase. All opposition parties led by the NPP and its bigwigs including current President Nana Addo, late Madam Hawa Yakubu, then sole opposition voice in Parliament representing the Bawku Central Seat as an independent MP were all in Navrongo and campaigned massively for Achuliwor who used a tilapia as his symbol. The performance of both parties in the constituency is as follows: The NDC wrestled and got the seat back from Mr Achuliwor who won in a by-election in 1996.

Clement Tumfuga Bugase, a former DCE in the Kassena Nankana District won the seat with 16,811 votes representing 41.10 per cent while Mr John Setuni Achuliwor, who still went Independent had 15,599 representing 38.10 per cent. In the 2000 election, late John Achuliwor won the seat back from the NDC on the NPP ticket. He polled 11,246 representing 39.43 per cent while Clement Bugase of the NDC polled 11,103 representing 38.93 per cent. Some people attributed the loss of Mr Bugase to maladministration and as someone who had lost touch with the people and claimed that he was waving people from his vehicle other than coming down to greet them. Late Achuliwor would have continued to win the seat for the NPP until he decided otherwise but unfortunately he met his untimely death through a road crash in 2003. Incumbent MP, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda who replaced Achuliwor on same NPP ticket would have continued to enjoy same goodwill from the people due to his kind heartedness but people claimed that complacency set in and he like to hold grudges against his party members including party executives in the constituency. They claim, he doesn’t have patience and he easily believes in lies told by other people about other people against him. In 2004, Mr Adda retained the seat with 12,444 representing 37.96 per cent while the NDC who then struggled to field in a candidate but managed Mr Emmanuel Andema placed third in the election with 6,201 representing 18.92 per cent and the PNC candidate, Mr Gabriel Pwamang (Lawyer Scot) had 6,512 votes.

In 2008, Mr Adda polled 14,354 representing 45.23 to retain the seat the second time. His closest challenger Mr Mark Owen Woyongo also had 13,224 representing 41.67 per cent. Mr Woyongo defeated Mr Adda in 2012 to win the seat. He polled 17,907 representing 53.16 per cent while Mr Adda managed 15,443 representing 45.84 per cent. Mr Adda defeated Mr Woyongo to recapture the seat for the NPP in 2016. He polled 20,666 representing 52.72 per cent while Mr Woyongo struggled to get 17,203 representing 43.89 per cent.

Mr Chiragia polled 26,947 of the total valid votes cast, while Madam Abayage, his major contender, polled 15,821, over 11, 000 votes difference, which never happened in the history of the constituency and Madam Susana Agoriba Kubirizegah of the Progressive People’s Party managed 503 votes out of 44,343 total valid votes cast.

What then caused the defeat of the NPP in the constituency?

In an earlier article “The demise of NPP in Navrongo Central constituency if…” and published by truthghananews.com, this writer pointed out that if Joseph Kofi Adda was voted out in the party’s June 20th primary, then the NPP must not count the Navrongo Central seat as their own. As stated in the article, “One key factor that will let the NPP lose in the December elections is that if Joseph Kofi Adda loses the primary, which is likely, then the NPP must not count Navrongo Central as their seat in 2021. The reason being that Mr Adda still has a mass of the constituency electorate behind him but Madam Tangoba Abayage decided to contest him. It is already alleged that Madam Abayage, who is also the Upper East Regional Minister was planted to uproot Mr Joseph Kofi Adda who according to sources supported Alan Kyeremanteng against Nana Addo. Abayage was therefore brought down from Italy where she was the Ambassador to be the Regional Minister to enable her to get the Aviation Minister out. The majority of the electorate who parted company with Mark Woyongo and voted for Mr Adda and John Mahama are still around and would go back to vote for the NDC candidate who had been a grassroots man in the constituency. Another reason is that if the Regional minister wins the primary she is likely to be ignored because people claim or alleged that she divorced her husband and entered politics, which some say she is not living an exemplary life for women to emulate. In an unlikely event that the Aviation Minister, Kofi Adda wins the primary, the constituency executives of the NPP are likely not to support him because they claim Mr Adda was not dealing with the executive. One executive member who pleaded anonymity told Truth Ghana that only three executive members are supporting Mr Adda while the rest were against him. So, which way the primary goes, it might still affect the fortunes of the NPP depending on how they put their house in order.

The party never paid heed to the advice and went ahead to use cash to buy the votes of delegates against the people’s choice, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda. One thing politicians must learn is that Navrongo is an elite constituency and no amount of money and propaganda can sway the voting pattern. The people of Navrongo vote for personalities in terms of the Parliamentary and not people who might use money thinking they can buy votes.

Complacency also set in during the campaign in Navrongo. While Sampson was an ‘Orphan’ with limited or no resources, the NPP gave cash and a lot of materials to the electorate as had never happened. They antagonized Mr Kofi Adda and never bothered to come to the negotiating table with him. Some party executives in the constituency grew wings and thought social media was the battlefield to win the seat. Mr Chiragia won the constituency polling station by polling station including where Madam Tangoba hails from, an indication that she is not a parliamentary material worth voting for. At the Social Centre polling station in Namolo where even the NPP had mounted a big party signboard closer to the polling centre, the party lost miserably. The manner in which members of the party are apportioning blame will let one think wrongly or rightly that some of the campaign money is still available and that is the surest way of squandering it. It is also a known fact that Mr Adda is not in good terms with the people of Manyoro but Tangoba lost woefully. Mr Adda campaigned openly in the Chiana/Paga constituency and supported the NPP candidate but NPP still lost. Madam Tangoba Abayage has lost woefully and it is better to accept the defeat than playing the emotions of the people, which will kill NPP more in Navrongo. The people of Navrongo have spoken and the final verdict is that Madam Abayage, a name which means (I won’t stop) is not a Parliamentary Material worth voting for to represent them. Leave Mr Adda to rest honourably because Navrongo voted for quality. To your information Club Beer is in short supply in Navrongo.