Ketu South: Over 500 NPP Members to defect to NDC ahead of ‘Open Our Borders Now’ Demonstration

Some supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the Ketu South Constituency of the Volta Region have defected to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the opposition party’s ‘Open Our Borders Now’ demonstration slated for Friday, August 27, 2021. They say they have plans to join the protest.

The defectors numbering over 500 who have planned to use the demonstration to part ways with the NPP on Friday described the move as “going back to our own party” for lack of recognition in the NPP.

“Those of us who have decided to abandon the NPP today for economic and employment reasons” were originally NDC members who joined the NPP prior to 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections with the hope that things would get better for them.

Most of these people are predominately citizens and residents of some villages within the Agbozume, Klikor, Denu and Aflao areas who openly joined the “4 more to do more” train and campaigned for the incumbent party to retain power for another four years.

Their actions and inactions, according sources within the NDC have affected the NPP voter turnout positively with over 3000 votes, over the 2016 presidential results which stood at about 7,000.

In 2016, John Mahama, with the NDC obtained 65,279 votes representing 88.2% of the total vote cast, whereas Nana Akufo-addo on the ticket of NPP recorded 7,590, representing 10.3%. However, the story changed in favor of President Nana Addo in the year 2020 due to the mouthwatering promises he made to Ghanaians.

Even though, the two major political parties enjoyed upwards adjustment, the NDC folks believe the increment in the NPP’s presidential electoral fortunes in the 2020 election in Ketu South and the Volta Region at large has direct links to activities of their members who have joined forces with some NPP elements against the NDC and John Mahama.

For the last election, John Mahama had 86,582 votes representing 87.47%. This was an improvement over the previous election, but what shocked the NDC folks was the gains made by the NPP in their stronghold nicknamed ‘The Headquarters’ of the NDC’s ‘World Bank’.

In that election President Nana Akufo-Addo jumped to 10,949 representing 11.06%.

In an interview with this reporter on conditions of anonymity, one of the defectors claimed the “NPP in Government today do not know us and it has refused to appreciate what we have done for them to retain power.

“We are the ordinary people, they just recognize us during elections, I want to forget politics,” other person said angrily.

“I am a graduate looking for job all these years but on who you know, some illiterates were recruited” another person stated as he recounted a drama on the streets of Akatsi involving an alleged “illiterate police officer who disgraced the Service for speaking “broken” pidgin few days ago when he apprehended an Okada man, riding without a helmet”.

The Officer who does not understand the Ewe Language, allegedly, struggled with the English Language too, on the street when more motor guys rushed on him to challenge him, in support of their colleague who probably found himself at the wrong side of the law but mobilized other riders to make a mockery of him, and attracting a huge traffic.

“We are tired of politics. We are fed up”, they lamented.

It is expected that these defectors would be among the thousands of people who would storming the venue of the demonstration dubbed “Open Our Borders Now” slated for this Friday, August 27, 2021 commencing at Denu Junction and ending at Aflao Victoria Park by 8 am. It is about 15 kilometer walk.

Source: Edzorna Francis Mensah