We'll Chase Out Any Politician Who Comes To Canvass For Votes With Stones...

Politicians who go on promises spree during electioneering campaigns must be revising their notes ahead of the 2016 elections and beyond as Ghanaians have become wide awake. Every politicians knows that the key to winning elections is to make great promises, and there are politicians who are fluent with words and have the charisma to pull the crowds, but when it comes to fulfilling promises made, they are found wanting. The Ghanaian electorate is now very discerning and is demanding that politicians fulfill promises made during electioneering campaigns. In recent times, several communities have embarked on protests to pressure politicians to provide social amenities promised. Others have issued ultimatums such as �No Water, No Vote; �No Electricity, No Vote; �No Road, No Vote; and No Power, No Vote. The latest community to demand from politicians to fulfill promises made to them are residents of Nkrankrom, a farming community in the Sunyani Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region. They have threatened to stop any politician from campaigning for votes in the community in 2016 if electricity is not extended to the place. They say various political parties have come to make lofty promises before elections, but nothing is heard from them if they assume power � until the next electoral season draws near. Nkrankrom has a population of about 1,000 people who are predominately farmers. The youth in the community say they will chase out any politician who comes to the community to canvass for votes with stones. According to them, efforts by opinion leaders in the community to get electricity to the area have fallen on deaf ears. The aggrieved residents say they have been without electricity and other social amenities for so many years but successive governments have done little to better their living conditions. Hayford Kwabena Kumah, Assemblyman for Nkrankrom Electoral Area, in an interview with The "Finder" said all appeals to the appropriate authorities, including the Sunyani Municipality Assembly, have fallen on deaf ears. �We have made several appeals to the Municipal Assembly to extend the national electricity grid but it has not yielded any positive results. �The Municipal Chief Executives, Akwasi Oppong Ababio, promised us in 2010, 2011 and 2012 that we would get electricity here, but as I talk to you today there is no light, as you can see,� he disclosed. According to Mr. Kumah, the community lost an opportunity to get an ICT center for the basic school in the community due to lack of electricity. �An NGO wanted to bring an ICT center to the community but because of the absence of electricity, the ICT center was sent to the people of Atuahenekrom. The clinic built about seven years ago is not functioning because of the absence of electricity,� he added.