He stressed the need for his party to secure a clear and overwhelming majority in both the presidential and parliamentary races to ensure effective governance.

Speaking at a mini rally in Akotombrah as part of his campaign tour of the Western North Region, Mahama called on the electorate to resist the temptation of short-term incentives and handouts offered by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He warned that such tactics are aimed at influencing voters for immediate gain rather than addressing the country’s long-term needs.

Mahama emphasised that voters should base their decisions on policies that promote sustained growth and development, rather than being swayed by temporary material benefits.

He reiterated that his focus is on providing lasting solutions to the nation’s challenges, which will benefit future generations and secure a prosperous future for all Ghanaians.

The former president also expressed confidence that the NDC’s message of progress would resonate with the people, urging them to vote for the party not just for the presidency, but also to ensure strong parliamentary representation.

“We don’t want any form of skirt and blouse voting. I’ve travelled to many places, and the impression from the NPP is that they know JM will be successful in the presidential election.”

“So, they are going around telling people, ‘We know JM will win the presidency, but vote for us in the parliamentary elections.’ No, don’t fall for that,” he stated.

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He stressed the need for a unified vote for both the NDC’s presidential and parliamentary candidates to ensure cohesive governance.

Speaking at a mini rally in Twimia Nkwanta in the Bono East Region, Mahama highlighted that electing NDC parliamentary candidates alongside the presidential candidate is crucial for securing a majority in Parliament, which is necessary to drive the party’s national development agenda.

Mahama attributed the party’s previous electoral defeat to internal divisions and urged supporters to vote consistently for both the NDC’s parliamentary and presidential candidates.

He said, “We did not win the previous election because of disunity. I have also heard that most of you would vote ‘skirt and blouse.’ I plead with you all to vote for the PC and me. We need development in Techiman South.”

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According to him, such a situation resulted in a hang Parliament in President Akufo-Addo’s second term, making decision making by lawmakers difficult.

Napo as he is popularly called was speaking at a durbar of chiefs, religious leaders and other identifiable groups at the forecourt of the Juaben Palace in the Ashanti Region.

According to him, most of the development agendas especially from the Ashanti Region, that were sent to Parliament for approval, were blocked by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament.

The NPP running mate said most of these bills are still pending in Parliament and have not been passed because of the NDC’s strong resistance.

NAPO has therefore appealed to the people to vote for the NPP’s parliamentary candidates because the more the seats the NPP gets in Parliament, the more Dr. Bawumia’s vision can swiftly be implemented.

The Omanhene of the Juaben Traditional Council and Chairman of the Council of State, Daasebre Otuo Serebour II congratulated Napo on his selection as the running mate and thanked the NPP government for the numerous projects in Juaben and its environs.

Source: Ernest Akowuah Gyamerah Twum

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According to the constituency secretary, Samuel Obeng Takyi, the group is only seeking the attention of National Executives with their myriad of false allegations.

“These are people who plan lies and think that discerning minds would buy into them. They are the proponents, propagandists, and orchestrators of the ‘skirt and blouse’, and they are now looking for attention, which they are finding it difficult to get”.

He said the reality is now hitting them after they failed to use internal party avenues to resolve their concerns and campaigned against the party’s parliamentary candidate.

Mr Obeng Takyi, however, said the elected constituency executives have the support of the rank and file of the party and would do everything possible to win the seat back for the NPP.

Godfred Kwang, a leading member of the aggrieved group, at a recent press conference alleged that no Polling Station Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators, and Constituency Executives Elections were conducted in the Jaman South Constituency from January 2022 to date.

He also alleged that the elections committee secretly prepared and presented an album to the party headquarters, which they described as fictitious, hence their court actions and petitions to the party to intervene to halt the division in the constituency and boost their chances to recapture the seat they lost to the NDC.

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But at a press conference at Drobo to respond to the allegations, the constituency executives, led by the secretary, Samuel Obeng Takyi, said it is erroneous and factually inaccurate for anybody to suggest that there have not been any polling station and constituency executives elections in Jaman South.

He said the National Council of the party, after the back and forth, “then set up a new committee headed by Abdul Razak Oppong, the Bono Regional Youth Organizer, to organize the constituency delegates conference to elect constituency executives,” since the old committee had finished its work.

He further stated, “The elections were held on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Awasuman SHS, Dwenem,” which ushered in the existing constituency officers.

Mr Obeng Takyi noted that despite the aggrieved members urging certified delegates to stay away from the election, they still recorded a 94% voter turn-out. 

He, however, admitted that the electoral commission, for “whatever reason,” could not supervise the elections as required, but said that should also not stall the activities of the party, citing some precedents in the region.

“The newly elected constituency officers and their appointees have taken part in both the regional and national executive elections to elect regional and national officers, respectively”, he further stressed.

“What they (aggrieved members) seek to achieve is to create confusion and division in the party so that their other “skirt and blouse” collaborators can capitalize on the supposed division to run for independent candidate,” the constituency secretary alleged.

He, therefore, called on the National Council of the Party to disregard the distractors and focus on the conduct of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential primaries to select winnable candidates to break the eight.