What Bryan Acheampong said about NPP not handing over power to NDC
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Abetifi Constituency, Bryan Acheampong has reiterated a statement made in 2023 that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would not win the 2024 general elections to warrant a handover by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He stated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would therefore not transfer power to the NDC.
His reason is that, the NPP was working hard and will therefore win the elections and so there will be no need to handover to the NDC because the NPP was confident of winning the 2024 general elections.
Last year [2023] I stood here in Mpraeso and said that whether NDC likes it or not they will never win the December 7 polls and therefore the NPP will not hand over power to them because they cannot win the elections. If you cannot win elections why do you want power to be given to you at all cost, he said in the Twi language.
As of that time [2023] I made the statement, Ghana was confronted with economic challenges which made it difficult for contractors to do their work, unable to continue agenda 111 projects among others, Mr Acheampong added in the Twi language.
Mr. Acheampong, who also serves as the Minister of Agriculture, made these remarks after a unity walk organised by the NPP to mark the 2024 Kwahu Easter celebrations in Mpraeso in the Kwahu South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
*What Bryan Acheampong said about NPP not handing over to NDC*
— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) April 1, 2024
Last year [2023] I stood here in Mpraeso and said that whether NDC likes it or not they will never win the December 7 polls and therefore the NPP will not hand over power to them because they cannot win the… pic.twitter.com/IM9c5AXNFn
The unity walk was part of the NPP's activities to observe this year's Kwahu Easter festivities.
According to the Abetifi MP, the NDC would never emerge victorious in the December 7 polls, regardless of their desires. He questioned why a party that cannot win an election would seek power at all costs.
Mr. Acheampong pointed out that when he made similar statements last year, Ghana was facing economic challenges, including difficulties for contractors to execute projects like agenda 111 due to economic strains caused by factors like COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Acheampong asserted that the NPP had implemented stringent measures to revive the economy, leading to positive results such as a drop in the dollar rate and improvements in inflation rates. He expressed confidence that these economic improvements would resonate with voters, ensuring the NPP's victory in the 2024 elections.
Mr. Acheampong concluded by stating that with the current positive indicators, the NPP was poised to win the upcoming elections decisively.
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Reaction to previous comments last year
Mr Acheampong was condemned by the NDC for his comments last year, with the opposition party urging the Police to act on the matter.
“As the political tradition that ushered in our nation's stable constitutional order, the NDC will do whatever it takes to resist the misrule and machination of the oppressor and thus protect and preserve our democracy,” the party said in a statement signed and issued by its General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey.
“We urge the Ghana Police Service to act with dispatch in this matter. We recall the alacrity with which it recently apprehended and charged the Suame Constituency Youth Organiser of the NDC for expressing views that were deemed to be inciteful,” it said.
“No one is in any doubt that the statement of Bryan Acheampong is even more incendiary and subversive. We ,therefore, expect the same level of speedy action from the Ghana Police Service in arresting Acheampong and bringing him to book,” it said.
However, a statement signed and issued by the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Kodua, described the NDC's statement as one that “lacked contextual substance for the consumption of discerning Ghanaians”.
“The NPP considers the NDC's attack on Bryan Acheampong not only unwarranted but also attention seeking with an ill attempt to emotionally blackmail Ghanaians to court their support,” it said.
It, therefore, assured Ghanaians of the party’s resolve to guarantee the peace and security of the state by ensuring free, fair, and the most transparent elections in the 2024 general election to maintain the nation's enviable position as the bastion of democracy in Africa.
A foreign policy and security analyst, Adib Saani, described the comments by Mr Acheampong as “irresponsible” and one that had the potential to plunge the country into anarchy.
He said in an interview that the minister had undermined state institutions and also sought to galvanise the support base of the ruling party to indulge in acts of lawlessness in the event that the party lost power in 2024.
“Politicians are like rock stars. They have hardened followers who are inspired by them. Whatever the politician say has a direct implication on the thought processes of the followers and their behaviour patterns” Mr Saani advised.
“Now that he has said this, if tomorrow the followers are fighting over power, then obviously he influenced them,” he said.
Mr Saani, who is also the Executive Director of Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building, said Mr Acheampong’s comments were not different from other incendiary comments that once plunged countries such as Kenya and Côte d'Ivoire into electoral violence.