Photos: Why Akufo-Addo has toured Ashanti thrice in 3 months
The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, President Nana Akufo-Addo has rounded up his campaign tour of the Ashanti Region where he has charged the party faithful to deliver 3 million votes to ensure victory in the 2020 polls.
With the campaign entering its last lap, the President was in the region to rally his biggest support base ahead of December 7. It was his third visit since September.
The President has made at least three campaign stopovers in the region the last three months apart from his running mate’s campaigns in the country’s second-most populous region.
In the region in which the ruling party is angling for all 47 parliamentary seats while the opposition wants 30% of the votes to stand a good chance of winning the presidential polls, the President said he expected no less than 3 million votes.
He was in the region in September, November, and December.
He explained his special interest in the region which has stayed loyal to the Danquah-Busia tradition since the 1950s.
“The Ashanti Region is the heart of the New Patriotic Party. As a political party, if you don’t focus more on your base you would always be found wanting.
“Our party from time immemorial; the Ashanti Region has remained our cornerstone so there is the need for the people of Ashanti to support and encourage the party in everything”. President Akufo-Addo said this in an interview with Kumasi-based Angel FM.
When asked why he has frequently visited the Ashanti Region in the last, he said: “That is tactical and arithmetic. At all cost we have to get 3 million votes at home”.
Ashanti’s figures
The Ashanti Region has the second-highest number of voters after the Greater Accra Region. 3,019,000 voters registered in the region to cast their ballots in the region.
While the ruling party wants 3 million, the leading opposition party says it needs at least 900,000 of the valid votes.
Currently, apart from Asawase, Sekyere Afram Plains and Ejura constituency, the NPP has 44 out the regions 47 parliament seats.
In 2016, the NPP raked 1,646,947 votes, representing 76.27% while the NDC scored 497,242, which is 23.03%.
While raking in more than 99% of the votes from the region will be a tall order for the NPP, President Akufo-Addo is hoping the NPP’s policies including free senior high school, one village, one dam, planting for food and jobs will tilt the scale in his favour.
On the other hand, former President John Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC, has been to the Volta Region, the party’s stronghold thrice in six months—July, August and November.
