RE: I’ll complete all abandoned projects in my first year of office if re-elected as president- John Mahama to Avenor chiefs

Former President John Dramani Mahama's Tuesday, 18th August 2020 visit to the Volta region, precisely the Akatsi South Constituency is disingenuously embarked on and populist in nature, to say the least. One would expect Mr Mahama to appear before our highly revered Chiefs, led by Torgbuiga Dorglo Anuma VI, apologetically with his head bowed in shame that, during his eight years as President, and with a son of the land as Speaker of Parliament, the Constituency cannot boast of a portable water, not to talk of a Traditional Council. But characteristically of Mahama, he tried to portray himself as the angel he is not.

The former President whilst in Akatsi South mentioned some election year road projects to have been awarded on contract before his government was booted out of power in 2016, and questioned why those projects were put on hold.

Not of exception amongst the projects is the Akatsi South District Hospital expansion project. But Mr. Mahama must get this right once and for all, these roads that were written on paper and given to him to mention before our Chiefs have been in Akatsi South, formerly Ave Avenor Constituency since 1992 when Ghana returned to multiparty democracy. And if the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has labeled the Volta region as its World Bank of which Akatsi South is of no exception, has a genuine intention to give Akatsi and its villages good roads, it would not be left with few months to elections before awarding these roads to faceless contractors. The people of Akatsi South do not need a soothsayer to tell us that, an NDC government of which John Mahama was once a leader, takes us for granted and only sees us as voters. And the much touted World Bank mantra, is a vote seeking entrapment.

What our biological parents could not do for us in more than twenty years, we do not expect a guardian to satisfy us with it in less than three and a half years. We still trust the NPP government to secure funding, and properly award these projects to known contractors so we can demand probity and accountability, even when the NPP is out of power. With that, we're sure that even in the absence of an NPP government, the projects would still be executed because there is proper funding and value for money is reassured.

Mr. Mahama again sought to create an erroneous impression before our Chiefs that the issue of political vigilantism only exists in the NPP and the NDC is innocent here. What a dishonest Mahama the people of Bole have? Was it not just this week's Monday we heard Sofo Azorka urging his boys up North to finish NPP people for no reason? Or the infamous 'Azorka Boys' has now turned into a soccer academy? It is the likes of Mr Mahama that have branded all politicians to be liars in the eyes of the world.

If John Mahama could stand before our Chiefs and speak about vigilante groups in NPP, what then stops him from advising his General Secretary, Asiedu Nketiah who publicly admitted that the NDC owned and runs vigilante groups against that utterance? What again stops John Mahama from calling his former appointee, Joseph Yamin to order when he confirmed that indeed 'the Hawks' were his boys and that he Yamin would go everywhere with the Hawks? It is indeed clear that the NDC flag bearer is bereft of ideas and has no clear message for Ghanaians going into the 2020 elections, hence his choice of pettiness. No wonder a section of his own NDC members keep saying that the alternative is empty.

Election 2020 in the Akatsi South Constituency is not going to be determined by who protects the ballot boxes, Mr TIO. After all, from 1992 to 2016, the people of the Ave Avenor now Akatsi South have had peaceful elections devoid of shootings and ballot box snatching until 2016, when someone who thought he wielded so much power in your administration brought the military to shoot innocent brothers of the land. His price for that, he started paying long ago and would pay till eternity. But this year's election is rather going to be determined by which political party takes Akatsi South seriously. Today, at least some parts of Akatsi township enjoy portable water through the effort of an NPP government. Coupled with that, through the initiative of the Coastal Development Authority, most communities in Akatsi South have mechanised boreholes with constant water supply. Today, teacher trainees in our only College of Education, (Akatsico) are enjoying their trainee allowance which you saw no reason in payment through incompetence. Today, our people are not turned away from health facilities because of a nonfunctional health insurance system. Today, our people have access to twenty-four hour electricity supply which has made it possible for small businesses to keep running. Today, the people of Avenor can boast of a Traditional Council, with a national recognition. Mr Incompetent, today a section of your Unemployed Graduates Association, who reside in Akatsi South are gainfully employed through NABCO including known branch executives of the NDC. The list is unending...

These are just but a few initiatives of our guardian, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to we the people of Akatsi South which you, our parents, the NDC could not do for us over the years. If a choice should be made today between the NPP and the NDC in Akatsi, I am sure your guess is as good as mine. I therefore dare you Mr. Mahama to come back to Akatsi South next time with a better alternative.