2024 polls was a verdict on Akufo-Addo’s poor governance; don’t blame Napo —Manasseh

Investigative journalist and writer Manasseh Azure has asked Ghanaians and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) not to blame only Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh for his failure to deliver Ashanti votes.

According to him, the 2024 election is a verdict on Akufo-Addo’s poor governance as president for the past eight years.

He firmly believes that blaming Napo, as he is popularly called, is unfair because there was nationwide anger and the people punished Dr Bawumia for it.

Manasseh, who made this position known in a post shared via social media, indicated that even though Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s utterances and campaign messaging may have affected the chances of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, he cannot be the only one to be blamed.

Read His Post Below

Dear #JoyNews,

I think you’re overstating the failure of Napo to deliver votes in the Ashanti Region for the NPP. There were issues with his utterances and concerns about “his arrogance.” No two ways about that.

But the bloodbath the NPP suffered in this election was nationwide. I have often said that the effect of bad governance is like rain; it doesn’t fall on only one roof. The whole country was angry. The hardship imposed by the wicked few who hijacked the government was felt everywhere, including Ashanti.

If someone’s business collapsed because of taxes, the exchange rate or the general deterioration of the economy, he would likely punish the governing party in the election. If someone lost savings because of the domestic debt restructuring, he would likely vote against the government that caused him the economic torture.

If the victims are in Accra and they are expected to vote against the governing party, why should we expect a different reaction from the Ashanti voter?

Why do we think that the people in Ashanti Region would ignore their locked funds and “haircuts” and act differently because of a running mate from their region? Are we saying they would fall for ethnic associations and act against their personal interest?

Let us not forget the Ashanti Region is a major hub of commerce in Ghana, and business owners suffered the pinch of our economic woes more than the average Ghanaian.

I daresay that even if Otumfuo had been made the running mate, some people who felt the pinch on their bank accounts and businesses would not have been swayed. The frog says it likes water but not when it is boiling.

Napo may not have helped Bawumia the way Bawumia helped Akufo-Addo, but we will be missing the point if we single out Ashanti when the NPP’s catastrophe was all over Ghana.

This election is a verdict on the worst president and government in the Fourth Republic. The other possible running mates would not have achieved much in Ashanti under these circumstances.

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