The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has conceded that the party shot itself in the foot in the 2020 elections because its vigilance at the polling stations was far from satisfactory.
He insisted that the party’s failure to be vigilant and the alleged connivance of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led to the defeat recorded.
Mr Gyamfi however, assured that lessons had been learnt and the NDC would be extra vigilant at the polling stations in 2024 and reiterated former President John Mahama’s ‘do or die’ comment and hinted that the party would activate all legal ballot protective measures during the 2024 elections.
“But for the fact that we made certain mistakes which the NPP capitalised on with the help of the commission, we would have won power, I believe we could have been more vigilant at the polling stations where I believe a lot of ballot stuffing took place and that is why we have learnt from our mistakes and we are going to be extra vigilant in 2024and it is going to be do or die,” he alleged.
Mr Gyamfi also downplayed suggestions by Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia the party played the tribal card in the 2020 elections and defended the party executed an issue-based campaign that was devoid of personal and tribal attacks saying “I do not know how anybody can accuse the NDC or John Mahama of playing tribal politics because the party 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 have chosen leaders from various backgrounds with the late former President Jerry Rawlings from the Volta Region, the late former President Professor Evans Mills from the Central Region and former President Mahama from the North and I am not sure our brothers and sisters 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 will see the same trend, and the party does not discriminate but see Ghanaians as one people,” Mr Gyamfi touted. -ghanaweb.com
