Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otokunor, has posited that the creation of new regions, especially the Western North Region, will not necessarily translate into votes for the Akufo-Addo government in 2020 elections.

Speaking on Okay FM’s "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show, Otukunor insisted the Akufo-Addo government will be shooting itself in the foot to assume that by creating the Western North region, people in the area will automatically vote for the NPP in 2020 elections.

“They should delude themselves in thinking that by dividing the Western Region to have Western North, automatically the people over there will vote for them; they are deceiving themselves. Let’s check for the development that the NPP administration has given to the people of Western North within 2 years in office; there is nothing to show for in Western North. In fact, the road network that under the Mahama-led NDC was being carried out at No. 81 to Bodi, the NPP has asked that work should be halted on the project and the contractors have been idle for close to 3 years now”, he asserted.

“...for almost 3 years nothing is done and so do you think these people will vote the NPP government? There are a lot of road network in Western North left hanging. In fact, the problem is with the Bia road which contractors were working but unfortunately, the NPP administration came to stop them and it has left the road in a deplorable state,” he disclosed.

Background

In the run up to the 2016 general elections, then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo pledged to facilitate the creation of four regions from the Western, Northern, Brong Ahafo and Northern regions on the back of proposals from the chiefs and people in the area.

On assumption of office he established the Ministry of Regional Reorganisation and Development primarily to spearhead the creation of the new regions which according to the government was at the heart of the people in the areas.

Since June 2017, the government has through the Ministry championed all the constitutional processes required in the creation of the regions including the December 27, 2018 referendum which allowed the people to overwhelmingly endorse the creation of six new regions.

With at least 80 per cent vote, the people of voted for Ahafo, Bono East, Savannah, North East, Western North and Oti to be created out of Brong Ahafo, Northern Region, Western Region and Volta Region.

In line with Article 5(8) of the 1992 Constitution, President Akufo-Addo, in February 2019, held the first of a series of ceremonies at the Jubilee House in Accra to issue a constitutional instrument to give effect to the new regions.

But while some believe it was a good course and might enure to the benefit of the ruling party in next year's general elections, others maintain that the creation of new regions is not something the president should be celebrating given the urgent bread and butter issues, as well as basic challenges of development that confronts the people of Ghana.