NE/R – NPP hits back at NDC over attacks on Bawumia

By : Sadat Dabo

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the North East Region has responded to NDC’s Thursday 23rd November, 2023 press conference organised by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), addressed by North East regional communication officer

At a press conference addressed by Walibe Amos, the Regional communications director of NPP, on Tuesday November 28, 2023. Mr.Walibe revealed why the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has intensified its attacks on the Personality of it’s Presidential candidate and Vice President Dr. Mahamud Bawumia.

 

 

Below is the full statement by NPP

A PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE NORTH EAST
REGIONAL COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR OF THE NEW
PATRIOTIC PARTY

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen of the media. Let me first of all
thank you so much for attending upon our call despite the short
notice. Let me also pause here to thank my colleague regional and
constituency executives and party sympathizers for turning up in your
numbers to give a morale booster to this all-important press
conference.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, this press conference seeks to
basically respond to some bare lies told by the NDC in a press
conference addressed by their regional communication officer on
Thursday 23rd November, 2023 under the broad heading, “Vice
President Alhaji Bawumia must Render an Account and an
Unqualified Apology for Deceiving and Failing the Chiefs and Good
People of the North East Region”. Our friends from the media, that
press conference by the NDC sought to achieve one thing, which is
that, it was an attempt at halting the speedy dwindling fortunes of the
NDC in the North East Region. It has become abundantly clear that
NDC in the North East Region is facing an eminent extinction
following the election of H.E the Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia as the flagbearer of the NPP. That is to say that NDC in the
North East Region is fast becoming an endangered species as their
members who want the development and wellbeing of our young
region are leaving the NDC in droves and joining the NPP. Others
also openly declare that they won’t leave NDC but that they will vote
for Bawumia in 2024 to become the president of the republic of
Ghan

So, faced with this stark reality, the leadership of the NDC in the
North East Region hurriedly organized that shambolic press
conference seeking to give hope to the few remaining NDC members
in the region so that they do not also follow suit. If not that, why will
the NDC be calling the vice president a failure as if he is the president
of Ghana?
Now to the allegation of deception against H.E the Vice president, it’s
strange that Mr Gafaru and NDC in the region failed to realize he Mr
Gafaru addressed the press conference in his capacity as the North
East regional communication officer of the NDC. Was there anything
called North East Region before the NPP came to power in 2017? Mr
Gafaru and his colleague NDC regional executives should rather be
applauding H.E the vice president for creating a region for the good
people of the North East Region, some of the fruits of which is their
becoming regional executives. It is on record that the good people of
the Gonjaland longed for a region long before H.E John Dramani
Mahama came into the political limelight. So, it was all joy for the
good people of the Gonjaland when H.E John Dramani Mahama was
picked in 2008 as the running mate to then candidate Professor Atta
Mills. And he H.E John Dramani Mahama assured his people that he
would ensure that they got the region they were yearning for if they
voted for Prof. Mills to win the 2008 elections. He failed to deliver on
his promise to his people after 4 years in office as vice president. That
is what Gafaru should be calling failure. He returned to them in 2012
on bended knees with the excuse that as vice president, he didn’t have
the power to create a region. So, his people pardoned him and gave
him their mandate again, this time round, to become the president of
the republic of Ghana. Still, he failed his people after four years in
office as president. Again, that is what Gafaru should be calling
failure. But when the NPP assumed the reigns of governance in 2017
and his people renewed their request for a region, it was delivered to
them by H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. And when the overlord
of Mamprugu also requested, though for the first time, H.E Alhaji Dr
Mahamudu Bawumia delivered it to him and the good people of the
North East Region. So, if Mr Gafaru and his colleagues are looking

for a person who has failed his kinsmen woefully, they should look no
further, the person is H.E John Dramani Mahama.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, for Mr Gafaru and the NDC to
say the North East Region that is the brain child of H.E Alhaji Dr
Mahamudu Bawumia has lagged behind in terms of its fair share of
development under the current government and have blamed that on
the vice president is the height of hypocrisy, or I should say sheer
hatred. In fact, the NPP, both under H.E John Agyakum Kuffour and
under H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has outperformed the
NDC in the North East Region despite the fact that the NDC has ruled
Ghana for 27 years while NPP has so far ruled for 15 years. Let me
provide some statistics in some of the sectors to buttress my assertion.
In the educational sector, the NDC is no much to the NPP as far as the
North East Region is concerned. The NDC in 8 years under Mills and
Mahama from 2009 to 2016 was able to establish only one Senior
High School in Yagaba in the Mamprugu/Moaduri district and a
College of Education both under the presidency of H.E Professor Atta
Mills. What it means is that John Mahama failed to deliver a single
one of the 200 Community Day Senior High Schools he promised in
2012 to the good people of the North East Region. The NPP on the
other hand, in 7 years under the watch of H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia, has delivered 7 new Senior High Schools to the good
people of the North East Region. The 7 SHSs are located at Sakogu,
Gbintiri and Langbinsi in the East Mamprusi Municipality, Janga and
Kpasenkpe (STEM) in the West Mamprusi municipality, in fact, one
of only 10 of its kind in the country and Yunyoo and Nasuan Senior
High Schools in the Yunyoo/Nasuan district. The government has
also absorbed the Presby SHS in Nakpanduri in the
Bunkpurugu/Nakpanduri district which was a private SHS.
Construction is also underway of a TVET college at Guabulga in the
West Mamprusi municipality. Again, the government is almost done
with the construction of a Fire Service Training School at Wungu in
the West Mamprusi municipality. As for infrastructure in Senior High
Schools and basic schools, I won’t bore you with the figures.

On health, the Kuffour led NPP government secured funding and
began the construction of two polyclinics at Janga in the West
Mamprusi municipality and Chereponi in the Chereponi district which
the Professor Atta Mills led NDC government inherited and
completed in 2010. Beyond that, the NDC cannot boast of a single
health facility in the entire region. This government is building 4
agenda 111 hospitals at Yagaba in the Mamprugu/Moaduri district,
Chereponi in Chereponi district, Bunkpurugu in the
Bunkpurugu/Nakpanduri district and Yunyoo in the Yunyoo/Nasuan
district. Construction is also ongoing of a multipurpose district
hospital at Loagri in the West Mamprusi municipality. All these
health facilities are at advanced levels of completion. Ladies and
gentlemen of the media, the North East Region is hosting the largest
medical drone delivery center in the country at Vobsi in the West
Mamprusi municipality of the North East Region. This drone service
has saved a lot of lives in the region and beyond. Again, a new nurses
and midwifery training college has been established at Kubori in the
Mamprugu/Moaduri district which has already admitted its first batch
of students. Interestingly, for the entire 8 years that the Mills/Mahama
led NDC was in power, they could not complete a single common
CHPS compound in the East Mamprusi municipality where Mr
Gafaru comes from. But within 7 years in power, H.E Alhaji Dr
Mahamudu Bawumia, whom Gafaru calls a failure has orchestrated
the construction of 7 CHPS compounds in Gafaru’s backyard. These
CHPS compounds are located at Nagbai, Yankazia, Gadaantinga,
Bowku, Namongo, Za-ari and Buzulungu. The municipal assembly
under the able leadership of the former MCE Hon. Abdul-Nashir
Danladi (a.k.a Bans) collaborated with an NGO called Systems for
Health and built another 2 CHPS compounds at Dagbirboari and
Kolinvai. These were jointly financed by the assembly and the NGO.
This brings the total number of CHPS compounds built and
operationalized in East Mamprusi municipality alone to 9 in just 7
years. The current MCE for Gafaru’s East Mamprusi municipality,
Hon. Hajia Rashida Poanaa, recently cut sod for the construction of
two other CHPS compounds at Dabari and Nanori. The story is not different in the other 5 districts of the region as far as the construction
of health facilities are concerned compared with NDC’s record.
On Local government Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, the NDC
simply cannot match the NPP. The NDC in 27 years created only the
Mamprugu/Moaduri district. Just in 15 years, the NPP on the other
hand created the Chereponi district, the Bunkpurugu/Nakpanduri
district and the Yunyoo/Nasuan district. The NPP under the watch of
H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also elevated the then East and
West Mamprusi districts to their current municipality statuses. As if
that was not enough, H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has gifted
his people a new region which is accelerating development in the
region. In fact, the North East Regional coordinating council was
about the first to be commissioned by H.E the president. Is that what
Gafaru calls failure and deceit?
On road network Ladies and Gentlemen, we admit the fact that the
road network in our young region is still bad but this government has
invested so much in the road sector in the region. If the NDC had
done the amount of work this government has done within these 7
years in the road sector in the region, our story would have been
different today. The town roads of the regional capital Nalerigu have
been tarred, the town roads of Gambaga the capital of the East
Mamprusi municipality and the town roads of Walewale the capital of
the West Mamprusi municipality have been tarred. These places
hitherto had no single tarred road. Also, the town roads of Chereponi
and Bunkpurugu have been substantially done. Other major roads in
the region that received or are receiving attention include Wiasi
junction – Yizesi – Taantala road, Yagaba – Kubori road, Nasia –
Janga road, Gbani – Kparigu road, Diani – Guabulga road, Nalerigu –
Gbintiri road among others. The only major road the NDC did in their
entire 8 years was the Bongbini -Walewale road. In the run up to the
2012 elections, John Mahama stood on a campaign platform in
Bunkpurugu and promised to fix the Nalerigu – Bunkpurugu road if
he won the 2012 elections. The people were moved by that promise
and voted for him massively. However, JM failed to deliver on his
campaign promise for 4 years and as a result, he couldn’t go back to the Bunkpurugu constituency to campaign in 2016. That is what
Gafaru should call failure and deceit.
Let’s now turn our attention to the Agricultural sector under which the
Walewale Watermelon factory falls. This government since 2017 has
built 4 warehouses at Gambaga, Walewale, Bunkpurugu and Yagaba.
A fifth one is under construction at Gbingbani in the Yunyoo/Nasuan
district. NDC has none to show in the region. The Watermelon factory
for which Mr Gafaru called the Vice President a failure is 80%
complete. The building itself is complete waiting the installation of
the machines. It’s also important to state that all the machines that are
needed for the factory to operate have been brought to the site waiting
installation. Also, there is a rice processing factory in Chereponi
under 1D1F ready for commissioning. A test run has been carried out
and the factory will be commissioned soon. Again, a shear butter
factory is almost ready in Gambaga. If Mr Gafaru finds it convenient
to blame the vice president for the slow pace of work on the
Watermelon factory instead of the president, he should be telling us
the number of the 200 E-blocks promised by John Mahama in 2012
that were built in the North East region. The only one that was started
in the region was at Namong in the Yunyoo/Nasuan district. For 3
good years, it never reached 50% completion and the contractor left
site in November 2015. Also, the NDC promised on page 63 of their
2012 manifesto to establish factories in the then 3 northern regions to
process shear butter. Where are those factories? Was sod even cut for
a single one of them? That is what Gafaru should be calling failure
and deceit.
Let me be quick to add that there is no any such farmer group in the
North East region called watermelon farmers association. In fact,
verified information indicates that the man who presented himself as
the president of watermelon farmers association in the region doesn’t
even farm watermelon. This is not to downplay the importance of the
factory to the actual watermelon farmers in the region. Far from that.
We are assuring the teaming watermelon farmers in the region that the
factory will surely be completed and operationalized by this
government.

On employment Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we have completely annihilated the NDC on that in the region. Thousands of our youth have gained jobs in almost every sector of the economy. In fact, there are areas that hitherto the region could not boast of a single person in those areas but we now have them in their tens. It is therefore not surprising that the NPP has become so attractive to the youth in the region.

On rural electrification, we have done far better than the NDC did in
their last 8 years in government. Taking the backyard of Gafaru the
East Mamprusi municipality for instance, NDC connected 18
communities to the national grid in 8 years but we have so far done 31
communities in 7 years with works progressing in other communities.
Again, Ladies and Gentlemen, H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia,
the vice president and flagbearer of the NPP for 2024 presidential
elections has set a very high standard in the North East region as far
as sports infrastructure is concerned. H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia has masterminded the construction of three AstroTurfs in
the region. Two of them located in Walewale and a third one in
Nalerigu. A few more will be added before the end of 2024. H.E John
Dramani Mahama cannot boast of a single sports infrastructure
anywhere in any part of Northern Ghana. That is a clear case of
failure.
Finally, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, is it shameful that Mr
Gafaru will be asking the vice president to point out one single fuel
station that operates 24/7 in the region. I say it’s shameful for him to
make that demand of the vice president because Mr Gafaru, just like
many of his colleague NDC supporters, do not know that it is demand
that creates supply. Supply does not create demand. The fuel stations
in the region do not operate after a certain period in the night because
nobody needs fuel at that time but not because of the fear of armed
robbery attacks. It doesn’t make any economic sense to keep a worker
in a fuel station at night in addition to a watchman when in fact, no
sales will be made over the night. There is a fuel station in Gambaga
where Gafaru comes from very close to a police check point that has police presence 24/7. Does Gafaru suggest that the fuel station doesn’t
operate in the night because of fear of armed robbery attacks? If Mr
Gafaru is looking for places in the North East region where 24/7
services are provided, he should visit the Baptist Medical Center in
Nalerigu and all the other hospitals and health facilities in the region.
It is rather he Gafaru who should be telling us the sectors or
institutions in the North East region that are in readiness to benefit
from their 24-hour economy policy.
In conclusion, I want to advice my good brother Mr Gafaru to desist
from further attacking H.E the vice president Alhaji Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia if he wants the NDC to remain alive in the North East
region. This is because the more he attacks the vice president and
flagbearer of the NPP, the more he angers his colleague NDC
supporters to want to desert the party. I also want to admonish my
colleague NPP communicators not to engage in politics of insults. I
want to humbly appeal to my colleagues not to abuse H.E John
Dramani Mahama or any other NDC member like NDC
communicators do to our brother and uncle H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia. Let’s treat the NDC members nicely so as to attract them to
our fold. We should also rather be trumpeting our achievements that
glaring all over the region.
Thank you for your attention.
….Signed…
Walibe Amos

Source : gbcuraonline.com