We’ll turn Western Region into NDC “World Bank” - NDC Chair declares

Western Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress(NDC), Nana Toku, says the region would be the “World Bank” of the party in the 2016 general election.

He said the party is strategizing to improve upon its current hold on 18 seats it won in last Friday’s presidential and parliamentary elections to 20 in the next election in 2016.

Nana Toku told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday in Takoradi that the NDC worked very hard in the region and disseminated the right message to the people that convinced the electorate to vote massively for both the presidential and parliamentary candidates of the party.

He said the party would strategize to capture parliamentary seats in Sekondi, Takoradi, Effia, and Kwesimintsim constituencies in the next elections, which the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had hang-on for over a decade.

“For us to capture more seats and gather more votes in the region, we need to satisfy the needs of the people because the region’s infrastructure is inadequate, therefore, we need to provide good roads, schools, health facilities, potable water, and electricity as well as reduce poverty among the people,” he said.

Nana Toku debunked erroneous perceptions peddled by the opposition NPP that the NDC influenced the electorate with money and items adding “Ghanaians are discerning people and if the NPP claimed that we bought the electorate with money, then it means they (NPP) are insulting the people”.

The NDC Regional Chair indicated that the NPP made the mistake of always peddling lies in the media therefore the electorate punished them by voting against them in the just ended elections.

“The NPP should do their homework well and come back better prepared instead of thinking that the election is a done deal for them”, he said.

Nana Toku admonished the jubilating NDC supporters to celebrate the party’s victory in moderation in order not to incur the anger of the vanquished, saying the victory is for all Ghanaians because it’s not only the core supporters of the NDC that voted for the party, but all Ghanaians who believed in the policies of the party.

“Now that President John Dramani Mahama has dedicated the party’s victory to the memory of late President Mills, the party has also done same and therefore, we entreat the party’s supporters to be moderate in celebration”, he added.

He said the party would organize simultaneous constituency rallies across the region to celebrate the party’s victory and urged the party supporters to remain calm.

The NDC won 18 parliamentary seats in the region improving upon its hitherto 11 seats, whilst the NPP garnered only eight in this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.