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Members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Taskforce’s Ashanti Regional branch, which was assigned to election security for the 2024 elections, have voiced their displeasure with what they see as the party leadership’s lack of attention.
The taskforce claims that the NDC has not acknowledged their efforts or even offered a word of gratitude, despite the potentially fatal risks they took to win votes for the party in the region against what they say was a well-coordinated security apparatus of the then-ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The group called on the ruling administration to reward their devotion at a news conference in Kumasi after becoming frustrated with the lack of acknowledgment.
Speaking to the media, Maxwell Hope, the commander of the Ashanti NDC Security Taskforce, stated:
“We want to extend our greetings to President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang. Before the 2024 elections, every active party member, from the polling stations to the national level including campaign teams was aware of the crucial role we played. Even President Mahama himself knows this. So why has the party leadership failed to recognize our efforts after the elections?”
Maxwell further revealed that the party’s security leadership had given them instructions to assist in obtaining 29% of the vote in the Ashanti Region prior to the elections. They assert that by being more vigilant than expected at polling stations and collation centers, they stopped the NPP from using election-rigging tactics.
“We overworked ourselves to surpass the 29% target. Yet, not even a simple ‘thank you’ has been extended to us. Is that fair?” he questioned.
He underlined that if they fulfilled their mandate, the party would provide them with jobs in the national security system.
“Gbevlo Lartey led that promise, and we are waiting to hear from him soon. If nothing is done, we will be forced to take action,” Maxwell cautioned.
The exclusion of important NDC members who backed the party’s security initiatives in the region, including Joseph Yamin, Samuel Sarpong, and former Deputy Minister for Works and Housing Samuel Yaw Adusei, from government jobs was another issue he criticized.
“Those who sponsored our activities have been sidelined, and we have not been given jobs. How do you expect us to survive until the next election? Who do we turn to for help when the need arises?” he bemoaned.
The NDC’s Ashanti Regional Security Taskforce Coordinator, Alhaji Tanko Bashir, charged that some of the recently hired officers were enlisting party rivals rather than devoted supporters who sought to win the election.
“When the party leadership met us, they emphasized that the NDC could only win the 2024 election with a 29% vote share in Ashanti. At that time, these appointees were nowhere to be found. Our taskforce members, across all 47 constituencies in the region, used personal funds to begin operations until national support arrived. We received backing from figures like Samuel Sarpong, Yaw Adusei, Kenneth Adjei, Gbevlo Lartey, and Joseph Yamin. But what has the party done for them?” he questioned.
Tanko also reaffirmed that if they reached the party’s aim, Gbevlo Lartey personally promised them employment placements within the national security organization.
We went above and above to make sure our members received the training they needed to protect President Mahama’s votes because of this pledge. Now, he questioned the NDC leadership, “Will you allow the remaining sheep to go out the following day if you release them to graze and only a few return?”
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
