NPP’s 2020 manifesto is 419, offers no hope – Sammy Gyamfi

The National Communication Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has deceptively crafted its 2020 manifesto to mislead Ghanaians to vote for them.

According to him, the 2020 manifesto of the NPP offers no hope to Ghanaians and that the manifesto was purposely designed to deceive Ghanaians to vote for the party in the upcoming December polls.

He said the NPP cannot be trusted to keep its manifesto promises since the last manifesto the party used in the 2016 general elections, only 14 per cent has been fulfilled.

“One would have thought that Saturday’s charade of a manifesto launch by the NPP would have been preceded by an honest and sincere apology to the Ghanaian people by President Akufo-Addo himself for failing to honour an overwhelming majority of his promises such as has never been seen in the annals of Ghana’s history,” he said.

He added: “But as usual, he chose the path of deception in the hope that he will be second time lucky with well-decorated lies and political chicanery. God being so good, he has been exposed so much such that every Ghanaian who followed the manifesto launch knows that the entire exercise was a scam calculated for votes and nothing more.”

Mr. Gyamfi who was addressing the media at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Monday, August 24, 2020, as part of the party’s weekly press briefing said, if the party could only fulfill 14 per cent of its 2016 manifesto, then Ghanaians should not be entrapped by the content of the party’s 2020 manifesto.

According to him, “One thing that has made this grand deception more manifest is the 2020 manifesto promise of President Akufo-Addo to construct an ultramodern Airport at Cape Coast.”

Why deception?

He explained that “In an interview on Cape Coast-based Atlantic FM on Friday, 21st August, 2020 ahead of their manifesto launch, President Akufo-Addo made the point that an airport in Cape Coast is not yet justified given the close proximity of Cape Coast to the Capital City of Accra and Takoradi both of which have airports. Yet, in less than 24 hours at the manifesto launch in Cape Coast, his Vice. Dr. Bawumia announced a promise to the people of Cape Coast that they will build an ultramodern airport and habour for them if elected.”

That, Mr Gyamfi, thinks “begs the question as to what sort of feasibility was conducted on the Cape Coast Airport project between the time President Akufo-Addo spoke on Atlantic FM and the manifesto launch. Just like this knee-jerk deceptive promise, the entire 2020 manifesto of the NPP is a 419 promise intended for votes and not meant to be kept.”

He has, therefore called on President Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr Bawumia, to apologize to the people of Cape Coast and the entire nation over what he described as a “419” manifesto.   

“In all humility, we will like to implore the good people of Ghana to dismiss this 419 NPP manifesto ab initio. This is because, President Akufo-Addo, his Vice Dr. Bawumia and the entire NPP establishment cannot be trusted to deliver on their promises. If President Akufo-Addo could break 86% of his first term manifesto promises when he knew he will be seeking a second mandate from the Ghanaian people, then how many of his latest 2020 manifesto promises will he break if elected, now that he will not be seeking another mandate from Ghanaians again? Your guess is as good as mine.”

NDC Manifesto

He said the NDC will on Monday, August 31, 2020 launch its manifesto in Accra, and that the party’s position on the construction of an airport for Cape Coast will be known.