NDC LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it has finalized plans to launch its campaign for the December 7 general elections at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Sunday, August 14.

The party will use the campaign launch, which has the official theme: “Changing lives, transforming Ghana,” to formally introduce its presidential candidate, John Mahama who is seeking a re-election.

However, conspicuously missing is the much-talked-about manifesto which the party says will be launched later.

The party’s National Organizer, Kofi Adams, admits the campaign can be launched for the manifesto to follow later as it is a usual practice.

Manifesto Bait

Interestingly, the NDC campaign launch is coming at a time the ruling party is trying albeit unsuccessfully, to ‘bait’ the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to launch its manifesto first.

Mr Adams, in particular, and other high-profile party officials, persistently castigate the NPP for not outlining its vision to the electorate, but the opposition party resists the temptation.

The NDC National Organiser claimed recently that the NPP had adopted a strategy to ‘shop’ for ideas from the ruling party, and so that was why it (NDC) had not launched its manifesto.

He had said it was outrageous for an opposition party to delay its manifesto launch until an incumbent launches its, saying, “Up to date, the NPP cannot come out with their manifesto so they have no message for the electorate. They are just waiting to counter what the NDC will be doing. They are all over shopping for ideas.”

NPP Adamant

The NPP hit back and said the NDC has the penchant to ‘steal’ ideas in its manifesto and insisted it was going to launch at the appropriate time.

Campaign Manager of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu, responded to Kofi Adams, saying the NDC is noted for copying policy plans formulated by the NPP and that it was clear the ruling party wanted the opposition party to launch its manifesto for the NDC to copy it once again.

He said the NDC had ended up messing up such laudable initiatives enshrined in the NPP manifestos, citing the Free SHS and Northern Development Fund, which the NDC turned into Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), among others.

“We cannot sit down and repeat the same mistakes we did in 2008 as well as 2012, in 2016,” Mr Mac Manu said.

Campaign Mood

The NDC held a news conference in Accra yesterday, throwing more light on the activities for next Sunday’s campaign launch in Cape Coast.

The party’s campaign team spokesperson, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, who doubles as a Deputy Minister of Transport, confirmed that the manifesto would be launched at a yet-to-be-communicated date.

“The manifesto launch is still in the offing and when we are ready, it will be communicated in due course, but Sunday will be specifically used to outdoor our candidate and to officially launch our 2016 campaign for the elections,” she said.

She pointed out that the launch would be a step in the party’s “march towards victory in 2016, come December 7. We intend to outdoor our candidate; we intend to galvanise our party supporters; we intend to officially kick-start the campaign in the run-up to our victory come December 7, 2016.”