An actvivist of the ruling New Patriotic Party has made controversial statements regarding the role of northerners in the party’s electoral successes.
In a viral video on social media, the party activist, speaking on Gye Nyame 94.5 FM, asserted a clear distinction between the significance of votes garnered by the NPP in areas with a Northern majority and those with an Akan majority in terms of winning NPP elections.
“I am proclaiming through this medium that, whether we like it or not, the New Patriotic Party is an Akan party. I am telling you, I am not engaging in ethnocentrism here, but I am stating plain facts. When we vote in this country, we don’t have to wait for results from Walewale and other areas up north. We are compelled to wait for results from Bantama and others,” the activist expressed.
He emphasized, “What I am trying to say is that they [Northerners] come in handy, but they are not the ones who win elections for the NPP in Ghana.”
Providing examples to support his argument, the activist highlighted the NPP’s performance in the recent Kumawu by-election. He noted that the party fared poorly in areas with a significant presence of people of Northern descent compared to the Akan-dominated areas in the constituency.
“In the recent Kumawu by-election, Bawumia and his people spent about three days in the Zongos campaigning for our candidate, thinking that because he is a northerner, the people there would follow him. However, that never happened,” he stated.
The upcoming presidential flagbearer election of the NPP has witnessed some campaigns marred by tribal undertones.
Critics of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, a frontrunner in the race, have been quick to point out his Northern descent as a perceived disadvantage in a party they claim remains predominantly Akan.
Supporters of former trade minister John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen have also highlighted his Akan roots from the Ashanti tribe to bolster his candidacy.
The statements made by the party activist reflect ongoing discussions surrounding tribal considerations within the NPP, particularly in the context of the upcoming presidential flagbearer election.
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