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The continuous, firm incursion being made by the main opposition New Patriotic Party into the Volta Regional ‘electoral World Bank’ of the governing National Democratic Congress continues to give members of the party nightmares.

This has led to accusations and counter-accusations from groups affiliated to the party. While the Social Democratic Forum of NDC believes the dwindling popularity of President Mahama and the NDC should be blamed on the leadership of the party in the Region and their hatred for the president, the Volta Youth for Development blames the president for the development.

“It appears the fact that the Volta Region has traditionally been bedrock of NDC support is being taken for granted by the Volta NDC. With the NPP aggressively and successfully making inroads in what until now has been a solid bastion of unwavering NDC support, we believe that the Volta NDC has taken its eye off the ball.
Complacency has been allowed to set in with pathetic excuses as the NPP is turning the Volta Region into their playground,” Alhassan Issahaku and Manan Mustapha of the SDF have said in a statement.

But, the Volta Youth for Development insists President Mahama should be blamed for the declining support of the NDC in the region.

“And for this development, we will blame none than President Mahama for not listening to our very brilliant research based strategic vote winning advice,” a statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Prosper Fofo Ndekor, has said.

The group argues further that the NDC is losing the support it enjoyed from the Region due to President Mahama’s decision to overlook Doe Adjaho for the position of vice presidential candidate.

The Social Democratic Forum of the NDC fears the NPP is breaking so much ground in the Volta Region that if care is not taken the NDC risks losing the support it enjoys at this year’s elections.

The group has accused some elements of the party in the Volta Region of scheming against President Mahama because of his northern lineage.

“If we are honest with ourselves, and as much as we would prefer to sweep the issue under the carpet, the heritage of our party has long had a whiff of an anti-Northern undercurrent. Hatred for leaders of Northern extraction by Voltarians is nothing-new beginning with a son of the Volta overthrowing the first elected President of the country who hailed from the North, Dr. Hila Limann of blessed memory. It is little surprising that Voltarians are beginning to be the biggest critic of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama,” the statement from the group added.

The statement adds: “Whilst the NPP propaganda machine goes into overdrive, the Volta NDC has been hamstrung by a farrago of petty squabbles, factionalism and delusion. All the criticism of His Excellency John Mahama is receiving from the Volta Region lacks any objectivity or substance. Voltarians just hark back to what they see as some sort of ‘Golden Era’, the days of the likes of JJ Rawlings and Tsatu Tsikata, these constant carping boils down to the fact that a Northerner now heads the party they purport to love. The fact that the NDC is led by a son of the North pains them immensely and the opportunity to take pot shots at the current leadership is one that they seize with relish.”

The group reminds members of the NDC about the fact that while they are at one another’s throats, “the NPP has been rapidly gaining ground in the Volta Region.”

“The threat of a Nana Addo presidency is very real and we must fight to our last sweat to prevent that from happening. Let us shun tribalism and petty squabbles to ensure and protect our legacy and survival of our great party. The chiefs in the Volta Region have not helped our cause. Shamefully, they have only been too happy to line up to curry favour with Nana Addo whilst castigating President Mahama,” the group laments.

It warns of the consequence of President Mahama being made to lose the upcoming elections: “It would be naïve to think that the anti-Northern hostility within our ranks has gone unnoticed by the inhabitants of the Northern regions. For our supporters in those regions are increasingly growing restive. Should President Mahama lose the forthcoming elections, his critics should forget about entertaining any ideas of a Voltarian coming to rescue what they would no doubt believe is the heart and soul of the party. We would be cast into the electoral wilderness. We are wiser and smarter and would not allow the fate of Dr. Limann to befall President John Mahama.”

Nana Addo’s recent visit to Volta Region, which took him to Anloga, Keta, Adidome, Ave-Dakpa, Akatsi, Klikor, Agbozume and Aflao, attracted massive endorsement from the the chiefs and people of the region.

Togbe Atatim IV, Chief of the Mafi Traditional Area, indicated that the chiefs and people of were confident that the 2016 presidential candidate of the NPP is “capable of rising to the occasion and will not disappoint us” when given the opportunity in this year’s election.