The New Patriotic Party (NPP) campaign team in the Nadowli West constituency has expressed concern about an alleged distribution of cutlasses to National Democratic Party (NDC) sympathizers in the constituency by Mr. Alban Bagbin, the Minister of Health.

The campaign team said they see a bad motive behind Mr. Bagbin’s gesture, since the farming season was over and called on the security agencies to conduct an impartial investigation into the distribution of the cutlasses to the NDC loyalists, “when we are close to the December elections.”

Mr. Bagbin, who has been the MP for the constituency since the fourth republic began in 1993, is seeking re-election for a sixth term.

According to the NPP campaign team, the distribution of the cutlasses to the NDC loyalists was tantamount to arming NDC activists to possibly harass and intimidate NPP supporters during and after the polls.

“The NPP wonders why the Member of Parliament did not distribute the cutlasses at the beginning of the farming season but rather at a period that farmers have finished clearing their farms”.

In their statement, they recognized that farmers in the constituency needed farm inputs and tools such as cutlasses and tractors but questioned why the MP allegedly hid his tractors in the Sissala East District and preferred giving out cutlasses during electioneering campaigns.

They reminded the Upper West regional peace council of the crucial role they had to play in both intelligence gathering as well as taking concrete actions to reassure all stakeholders, particularly opposition parties that no candidate would engage in any action that would be detrimental to peace.

The NPP team also accused Mr. Bagbin of laying claims to development projects executed by organizations, including non-governmental organizations like World Vision International and Sustainable Integrated Development Services centre (SIDSEC) in the area.

They also accused the Nadowli District Assembly of assisting the MP to take undue advantage of the Assembly’s interventions to create the impression that his performance as MP was good.