The Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs has denied responsibility for the party’s defeat in 2016 elections in the region.
Instead, he wants has blamed the former Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amisah Arthur, and former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson blamed for the party’s massive loss in the region.
The Regional Chairman did not offer reasons why the former Vice President who hails from Moree in the Central Region and the ex-Deputy Finance Minister who also doubled as the Regional Campaign Coordinator for the elections should bear responsibility for the loss.
He, however, denied assertions that the NDC lost in the Region due to his mismanagement of the party.
Speaking to the media during the party’s constituency executives elections in the Central Region on Saturday, Mr Allotey Jacobs said, “Even if they say I didn’t do well, the Vice President is even from this Region, national executive members, the (Regional) Campaign Coordinator, Ato Forson, is from this Region, so why do I be blamed for not winning the elections for the NDC in the Central Region?”
The NDC, prior to the 2016 general elections, had 16 parliamentary seats in the Central Region while the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) had seven seats, but the party was only able to have four seats as against the NPP’s 19 in the 2016 contest.
Another blow to the NDC in the 2016 parliamentary elections was the loss of two of its traditional seats, the Ekumfi and the Twifo-Atimokwa constituencies, to the NPP.
In the presidential elections, the NDC had 43.4 percent of the total presidential votes in the Central Region in 2016 as against 52.1 percent in 2012
The NPP secured 53.2 percent of votes cast in the region in 2016 as increasing the 45.5 percent it had in 2012.
Mr Allotey Jacobs was however hopeful the election of constituency executives by the NDC would yield fresh dedicated executives to strengthen it for victory in elections.
Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman has announced he will not contest for the chairmanship position again.
He told journalist his decision not to seek re-election is personal but noted it is out of “an inner room discussion”, saying, “there is the need to give way to some new people”.
He said having been in politics for forty-eight years, “sometimes, there is the need for you to stay at the background and give elderly advice to newly elected executives”, and appealed to NDC members to stay in the party to ensure victory in 2020 general elections.
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Source: Citinewsroom.com
