NDC had no campaign message in 2016 – Joshua Alabi

A flagbearer hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Joshua Alabi, has attributed the party’s loss in the 2016 general election to a non-existent campaign message. Prof Alabi said the party went into the elections without any campaign message. The NDC under the leadership of then incumbent president, John Dramani Mahama, lost the elections to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by about one million votes. The party later commissioned a committee under the leadership of Professor Kwesi Botchwey to, among other things, find the causes of the loss. The findings of the report have since remained classified. Speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise hosted by Winston Amoah, Prof. Alabi said though the NDC had no message during the 2016 election, party members tried to “make noise about it”. He added that the campaign was not well coordinated and “we should not push things to people who were not deeply involved”. Prof. Alabi maintained resources did not get to the grassroots, for which reason there was no campaign team. According to him, his research findings made him come out with a campaign message like fixed deposit to resourcing the constituencies and others. The flagbearer hopeful is optimistic that he will win the December 7 presidential primary race and lead the NDC into victory in 2020. He believes the beauty of the competition is that candidates use his “campaign message” by “putting grassroots at the centre of governance”. Prof. Alabi continued that even though the ruling NPP has not been able to fulfill its manifesto promises, it “had a message, be it right or wrong”. By Asia Osman|3news.com|Ghana]]>