Tema Mayor mocks NDC’s 2020 come back

The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La, has laughed off a projection by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it will return to power in 2020.

According to the Mayor, the party’s hasty declaration of a comeback, less than six months into the administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo, shows that the leadership of the NDC was still offering false hopes to its followers.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, he said, “My memory serves me very right because it is less than six months since the election. We all remember the NDC leaders in and out of the EC strong room constantly telling their followers that the party was in a comfortable lead even though they knew they were losing.

And we saw how eventually they had to confess and apologize to their followers that they were doing a political talk…it is the same people who are today telling their followers that the NPP will be handing over power in 2020.”

Mr Annang-La’s was reacting to the NDC’s claims at a rally in Ashaiman that the party will return to power in 2020.

At that rally, organized as part of the Silver Jubilee of the NDC, which had seen its Founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings, tell it to the face of the party that greed and corruption was what had cost the NDC the 2016 election.

Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, longstanding NDC MP for Nadowli and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, had said at the rally that the reason why the NPP will lose power in 2020 is that the party will suffer internal wrangling at the end of the tenure of President Akufo-Addo.

“I would advise Hon. Alban Bagbin to diagnose his own backyard first, before he seeks to remove the spec from the eyes of the NPP. We all know that the NDC at the moment is divided between the Rawlings’ faction and the Mahama faction. Rawlings wants Mahama and even the entire leadership of the party out…he has said publicly that they need to change the leadership.

The NDC’s mother, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings is estranged from the party and will never return. The foot soldiers of the NDC are angry over the neglect that they suffered for 8 years by their own government. The NDC’s stronghold, Volta Region, has rejected the party and all indications are that, Volta is coming along with the NPP, so between the NPP and the NDC, which one looks like it is beset by wrangling?” He asked.

According to Mr Annang-La, even the timing of the proclamation of a come-back is so propaganda given and borne out of wishful thinking.

“The NPP has been in power for less than six months and already, practical efforts are underway to fulfill all the party’s campaign promises.

Just yesterday it was in the news that the 275 million dollars to be allocated to the 275 Constituencies is ready and about to be disbursed,” he said.

The Mayor said President Akufo-Addo would win the 2020 elections by even wider margin because Volta is coming onboard.

“In the 2016 election, the NDC had lost by a huge margin of almost 1 million votes, with voters in their stronghold of Volta, mostly abstaining from the polling stations in anger.

Contrary to the prayers and wishes of the NDC that President Akufo-Addo will be too weak by the time of the 2020 elections, the 73 year-old President is actually looking fitter and fitter as the days go by,” he said.

According to him, “God willing, President Akufo-Addo will stand again in 2020 and when he does, we all know that his incorruptibility alone will nail the NDC in opposition for another 4 years. If I were a member of the NDC, I would either be jumping ship and joining NPP or will be psyching myself up to remain in opposition for at least 8 years.”

He dismissed insinuations that President Akufo-Addo is too old, citing that most African Presidents and even world leaders are septugenarians.

“United States President, Donald Trump, is over 70 years, Nigerian President Buhari is over 70. The Presidents of Eritrea , Djibouti , Mali , Sudan , Uganda , Congo , South Africa , Cote d’ivoire , Angola , Equatorial Guinea , Namibia etc are all above 70,” the Tema Mayor said.

He pointed out that Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is 78, Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria is 79, Paul Biya of Cameroon is 83 , Mohammed Benji Caid Essebsi of Tunisa is 90 while Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is 92 adding that “What therefore is the big deal about President Akufo-Addo being 73?”

The Tema Mayor advised the NDC party not to resort to cheap propaganda against the government but rather work hard and be a responsible opposition.

“The NDC as a party has a problem and the problem is that, it does not know its problem”, he said.