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Opinions of Sunday, 7 August 2016

Columnist: Allotey, Henry Niii Kpakpo

Open letter to Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo

Urgent Press Release

Good Morning Nana, I trust by the protection of Jehovah you are doing well and in good spirit. I know you are working hard to rescue Ghanaians from the hopeless situation we find ourselves in under the presidency of Oguadwuma Mahama. Understand that you are not in this fight alone and that all patriotic Ghanaians are solidly behind you.

My name is Henry Nii Kpakpo Allotey, a Ghanaian
by birth and a Ga by tribe. Some have described me as a Ga supremacist in view of my passionate desire to see an improvement in the lives of my fellow Gas and the Ga community as a whole. I am also the convener of a Ga-Dangbe group called Progressive Ga-Dangbe Patriotic Forum with the sole aim of seeking the welfare of all Ga-Dangbes through government policies and other social intervention policies. Our group has resolved to embark on a regime change agenda in the entire Ga-Dangbe community by selling the good news of the NPP to them. We are of the firm belief that it is only the NPP that can rescue Gas from the endemic poverty that we find ourselves in.
As you are aware, the NPP has not politically performed well in the Ga-Dangbe communities. By the Ga-Dangbe communities, I mean areas with massive population of Ga-Dangbes. The NPP has never won a seat in the whole Dangbe areas. Dangbe areas like Ada, Sege, Krobo, Shai, Ningo-Prampram has proved to be slippery grounds for the NPP. In typical Ga areas in Accra, the NPP has been found wanting. Except in 2000 when President J.A. Kuffour swept the coastal areas, the NPP has struggled to maintain the Accra seats. There are so many reasons that accounts for Ga-Dangbe votes mostly going to the other parties than the NPP. This letter is not to rehash what your researchers may have told you already but to summarise what we heard on the ground during our rounds.

The first reason is trust. For some strange reason majority of Ga-Dangbes have little trust for the NPP because of perception its an Akan party. The NPP sadly has not strived so hard to disabuse the minds of Ga-Dangbes from this perception. This has festered on with Ga-Dangbes seeing the NPP as an 'alien' party.

Another reason is how the NPP has carried out its campaign in the Ga-Dangbe areas. It is always a mistake to assume that the welfare of Gas is linked to the general welfare of Greater Accra. There is a world of difference between cosmopolitan Accra and typical 'rural' Accra where most of the Ga-Dangbes live. Whilst cosmopolitan Accra may be developed with an affluent lifestyle, that of 'Rural' Accra is heavily pregnant with poverty, ignorance, lack of development and general economic hopelessness. The NPP needs to tailor its message to address these specific problems in our communities.
There are other reasons but for brevity of this letter I need to limit myself to this two. Nana, I want to find out the plans the NPP has for 'rural' Greater Accra when you become President. We have been asked these questions several times on our rounds and I have to admit we always falter in our answers. I have to quickly say that we have tried to contact some Ga-Dangbes in your team in order to solicit for information but it has been unsuccessful. Either they are busy or will not pick our calls. This open letter wouldn't have become necessary if we had unfettered access to Ga-Dangbes in your campaign team.
I will not put the strategies we have developed to capture Ga-Dangbe votes for the NPP here since that will be imprudent but we will plead with you to ensure that Ga-Dangbes in your team laiase with our group and supply us with needed information as at when we need it. Trust that we are working hard for your victory and will deliver not less than 65% of Ga-Dangbe votes to you and the NPP.
Thank you.
Henry Niii Kpakpo Allotey
(Convener for Progressive Ga-Dangbe Patriotic Forum-0243370764)