General News of Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2021-10-12
Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress
Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress has conceded that the party shot itself in the foot in the 2020 elections.
Gyamfi said on Metro TV’s One On One show which aired on Monday (October 11, 2021), that the party’s vigilance at the polling stations was far from satisfactory.
The NDC’s failure to be vigilant and the connivance of the Electoral Commission and the governing New Patriotic Party, Sammy Gyamfi believes led to the defeat the party recorded.
He however assured that lessons have been learned and that the NDC will be extra vigilant at the polling station in 2024.
Reiterating John Mahama’s ‘do or die’ comment, Sammy Gyamfi said that the NDC will activate all legal ballot protective measures during the 2024 elections.
“But for the fact that we made certain mistakes which the NPP capitalized on with the help of the Jean Mensa-led commission, we would have won power. I believe that we could have been more vigilant at the polling station where I believe a lot of ballot stuffing took place. That is why we are saying that we’ve learned from our mistakes and we are going to be extra vigilant in 2024. It’s going to be do or die.”
Sammy Gyamfi also downplayed suggestions by Vice President Bawumia that the party played the tribal card in the 2020 elections.
He defended that the party executed an issue-based campaign that was devoid of personal and tribal attacks.
“I don’t know how anybody can accuse the NDC or John Mahama of playing tribal politics because the NDC is the only national mass political party in the country. The party is made up of people from mass and diverse backgrounds in the country.
“From 1992 till now, we’ve chosen leaders from various backgrounds. Rawlings from the Volta Region, Professor Mills from the Central Region and President Mahama from the North. I’m not sure our brothers from the NPP can say same. They have only chosen southerners to be their presidential candidates. If you take the vice-presidential position too, you’ll see the same trend. We don’t discriminate. We see Ghanaians as one people,” he said.