Flashback: We’re ready to ‘gift’ NPP one seat in Volta Region – NDC

In 2016 when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was governing the country, they promised to allow the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) win just a seat in the Volta region which happens to be the NDC’s stronghold.

The then Volta Regional Secretary of the NDC, Simon Amegashie said their kind gesture was because the opposition was working tirelessly to win the parliamentary seat.

Read the story orginally published in 2016 by Kasapa FM below.

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it will be magnanimous enough to allow the largest opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) win one seat in the Volta Region in the impending December 7 Parliamentary election.

According to the party, this charitable gesture will not be given on a silver platter but will only be possible if the NPP put in hard work during the crucial polls.

The NPP under the current Fourth Republic won a seat in the Volta Region for the first time in 2004 election, with Joseph Kwaku Nayan emerging as the Member of Parliament for Nkwanta North in a region which is the stronghold of the NDC.

The NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo who’s currently in the Volta Region begun his 5-day campaign tour of the area on Monday, October 24. It is the 2nd time this year that the three-time Presidential candidate is touring the region for which the NPP has set an agenda of capturing at least 3 seats in parliament and 30% of the popular vote.

But the Volta Regional Secretary of the NDC, Simon Amegashie Viglo in an interview on Asempa FM stated that the NPP’s projection will remain a dream as it is practicably impossible.

“If you say you are increasing it must reflect in the seat you have. NDC we are increasing in Ashanti Region which is the NPP’s stronghold, we have four seats over there and we had about 600000 votes in the last election and we say we want to increase it to 1000000 votes, they are saying they want 30%, in the previous election they had 12.4 % so they want more than double of that percentage in a region they don’t even have a seat. I don’t think it’s a realistic forecast, we are not worried about it because we think the forecast is arithmetically poor.”

He added: “If the NPP had said they were aiming at some 15% we would have said it was realistic because from 12.4% to 15% will sound a bit realist but the 30% which is more than 100% increase in a region where they don’t have any seat. Even at a time they were united as a party they made 12.4%, today as I speak to you the party is divided, they don’t have a chairman, no General Secretary, the party is not holding even in its stronghold and you think you can get more votes in a place where you don’t have any sympathies?

Simon Amegashie Viglo continued: “Our prayer for them is that they should do better, at least they should get one seat…because of democracy we are ready to concede one seat to them in the region if they work hard, but if they don’t, the little they have will be taken away from them. They used to have Nkwanta North seat, but we took it from them because they were making too much noise, the place they could win is Nkwanta North but now it’s a no go area for them, so which one are they going to win, Keta, Anglo, Ho or where? Even for the Akan seat it will be a big battle for the NPP to win.”