It seems the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is facing challenges in the Volta Region, with John Dramani Mahama, the party’s 2024 flagbearer, visibly distressed over a significant decline in his electoral support.
Mahama is alarmed by the drop in votes from the NDC’s traditional stronghold since he assumed party leadership in 2012, noting a 6.6% decrease over the years.
Specifically, Mahama’s vote share in Volta fell from 91.4% in 2012 to 87.7% in 2016, and further to 84.8% in the 2020 elections.
He expressed deep concern that the region, historically known as the NDC’s “world bank,” has not been as supportive as before. Notably, during the late President Jerry John Rawlings’ administration, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) struggled to gain traction in the region, yet in 2020, they secured 14% of the vote.
Mahama warned that this trend indicates the NPP is gradually making inroads and urged the NDC to address this shift. Speaking to party members, local residents, and chiefs in North Tongu at Juapong, Mahama emphasized that the region’s status as the NDC’s stronghold is not just about high vote percentages but about the consistent support the party has received over the years.
He lamented that despite the NDC’s historical dominance in the region, the 84% vote share in 2020 was not enough.
Mahama criticized the NPP’s narrative questioning the benefits of consistent NDC support and highlighted stalled projects such as the Juapong-Adidome road and the Juapong-Kpordoe-Abutia road under NPP administration.
He argued that significant development in the region has largely been achieved under NDC governments.
In response to the declining vote share, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, announced the launch of “Operation 94% Votes” to surpass the 90% vote share achieved in 2020.
He promised rewards for polling station executives who achieve the highest vote percentages in the upcoming elections, aiming to replicate the 2020 success of winning all 154 polling stations in the constituency.
