The opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) resolve to increase its political fortunes in the Northern region has been dealt a heavy blow as the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has activated strategic moves to recapture all ten parliamentary seats the party has lost in the 2012 elections.
The party, according to deep throat sources, is leaving no stone unturned as party executives have almost succeeded in mending squabbles and disaffections that caused the party to lose the ten seats in the Northern region.
Reports are that factions in constituencies where the party lost have pledged to bury their differences to work in unison towards a common goal of reclaiming the seats, and if possible snatch the few seats being held by the NPP.
To reclaim the NDC’s lost glory, President John Mahama, according to sources at the Flag Staff House, will in the coming days name Dr Bawumia’s senior brother, Chief Dauda Mandiaya Bawumia, a former Ghana ambassador to Burkina Faso as the new Northern regional minister in his upcoming reshuffle.
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) made major inroads in the Northern region in the 2012 parliamentary elections by increasing its parliamentary seats from 3 in 2008 to 10 in the last general elections.
The party succeeded in upping its number of seats from some hitherto NDC controlled areas in the 2008 polls, namely: Kpandai, Walewale, Tolon, Yendi, Yagaba/Kubori and Bunkpurugu. Most of these seats were won by slim margins.
Political pundits ascribed the party’s improved political fortune on infighting in the ruling party in the selection of parliamentary candidates for the 2012 elections, a development that produced a lot of independent parliamentary candidates.
Others always link the NPP fortunes in the previously no-go-area of the party to the selection of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as running mate, who spent much time in his home region and managed to woo voters by demonizing the ruling party.
Constituencies where NDC had veteran Members of Parliament who were not popular but maneuvered to win the party’s primaries, particularly in the Manprugu or Mamprusi areas, all lost their seats to NPP candidates.
These developments, a leading member of the party in the north, told The aL-hAJJ will not be repeated in the 2016 elections, saying “we made mistakes in the last elections and we paid for it dearly by losing some of our safe seats but I can assure you that the NPP MPs occupying the seats are just tenants, we will reclaim the seats they won in 2016.”
According to the NDC kingpin who does not want his identity disclosed, the massive development projects in the Northern region coupled with unity in the party should be a major source of worry to the NPP.
“If you analysis results of the last election, you will realize that in almost all the constituencies that our MPs lost, President Mahama won majority votes…that should tell you that we lost those seats because the petty squabbles that resulted in some of our people going independent …part of the reason is also that we allowed Bawumia free space to badmouth the party in the Mamprugu areas and that affected us,” he stated.
Another respected NDC chieftain in the Northern region told this paper “we have learned our lessons the hard way so 2016 will be a different story. Our people have regretted falling victims to Bawumia’s lies and they are ready to demonstrate that in 2016 by voting out the NPP MPs.”
Meanwhile, Northern regional Chairman of the party, Daniel Bugri Naabu, has vowed to work harder than before, to win 25 out of the 31 constituency seats in the Northern region in 2016.
“This means that our party’s popularity and strength in the region is increasing, saying “We are going to fill in positions and appoint people in various capacities to co-ordinate activities for the achievement of our goal,” Bugri Naabu stated.
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