NPP have ‘the boys’, NDC have ‘the men’ – Sam George

Sam Nartey George, Member of Parliament for the Ningo-Prampram, has rubbished assertions by the governing New Patriotic Party that they have competent hands to manage the affairs of the country, ABC News Ghana can report.

Sam George insists this impression cannot be said to be true considering the calibre of persons who advise the President on issues concerning the governance of the country intimating that if for nothing at all, the NDC has ‘big names’ and thus should be priding themselves as having ‘the men’ to do the job.

In the lead up to the 2016 general elections, President AKufo-Addo, then a flagbearer of the NPP, remarked, “We in the NPP have the men and the women that will give Ghanaians a decent standard of living” a suggestion statement which has since become the mantra associated with the NPP.

However, it is the opinion of Ningo-Prampram legislator that, the governing NPP deceived Ghanaians when they paraded themselves with the popular ‘we have the men’ cliche, indicating that the party lacks even people with the capacity as ‘boys’ to help them in their administration.

Speaking on Class FM, Sam George stated that as opposed to the NPP, his party has formidable people who can lead the NDC to victory in the 2020 general elections.

The Ningo-Prampram legislator was reacting to concerns that the incumbent Members of Parliament who lost their bid to contest the 2020 Parliamentary election on the ticket of the party will cost the NDC when the country goes to polls, eighteen (18) months from now.

“This is not like President Akufo-Addo when he said that the NPP had the men, he claimed that the NPP had the men, they don’t even have boys…if Wontumi is one of the key people advising the government in their strategies team, if Wontumi is one of “those men” that Nana Addo spoke about doesn’t it explain why the economy is where it is? when I tell you the NDC have the men, look at the names, we’ve got a solid team” he stated.

A total of nine(9) incumbent MPs including ‘big names’ like Ras Mubarak and Joseph Yileh Chireh, Members of Parliament for Kumbungu and Wa West, respectively, lost their bid to represent their constituencies come 2020.

Giving his thought on the loss and how it is likely to affect the party, Sam George, noted that the NDC hasn’t lost anything as these soon to be former Members of Parliament will still throw their weights behind the flagbearer of the party, John Dramani Mahama so they can wrestle power from the claws of the ruling NPP.

Another key politician who lost in the just-ended primaries is a former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection under the erstwhile Mahama administration, Nana Oye Lithur.

In his comments, Sam George claimed that the former Minister lost the election because she came into the race a little too late, however, he added that regardless of the loss, she, as well as, all others will support the party like they always have.

“At the end of the day, Ras Mubarak is going to be on the campaign for John Dramani Mahama…Ras Mubarak, like the other 8 colleagues are all committed that the NDC wins the next elections and they will contribute their quota. Because we are winning this together, it’s possible together and we’re doing this together. We’re all better off if we stick together and win the election. Oye came into that race very late, you know, her declaration to run was quite in a later stage and but I think that even her actions, irrespective of how late she came, show how formidable her character is and in 2016 elections, Nana Oye Lithur was one person really campaigning for President Mahama, she was in my constituency, I saw the work she did in my constituency, I heard the reports of the work she did in other constituencies, she is a fantastic asset to the NDC and I can’t wait to have her come back to my constituency and engage my women groups like she did in the 2016 elections and I think that the NDC” the MP noted.

According to Mr. Nartey George, not each of the people who make up the party’s ‘solid team’ needs to make it to the legislative body to show their capabilities, reiterating that the party doesn’t lose anything with the exit of the ‘formidable’ incumbent Members of Parliament.

“And who says everyone who is solid must be a member of parliament? no, a test of your quality is not about becoming a member of parliament. There are only 275 seats in parliament, so are you suggesting that we have only 275 solid people in politics in this country? absolutely not, we have fantastic solid brains, Dr. Kwesi Botwe, was he ever a member of Parliament? Ato Ahwoi, ever a member of Parliament? so I’m just establishing that the suggestion that someone doesn’t make it to parliament does not take how solid that person is.”

As part of mechanisms to get the NDC win the 2020 elections, Sam George, who won his bid to contest the 2020 Parliamentary election in the Ningo-Prampram constituency by a slim majority, disclosed the party has put together a framework to engage extensively with the grassroots who form the base of the party to fulfill their aim of coming back into power in 2021.



“When we talk about the grassroots, we are talking about the base of the party. I will not sit on radio and put out everything but there’s a framework, there’s a machinery that’s going to see us engage extensively with the grassroots, not just of the party but the constituents as a larger group. The various youth groups, the various religious associations, community-based organizations, there’s a systematic approach to it and for me I’ve got about 16 months to execute this election and every month, there is a focus on what we need to do, what we need to achieve, the target, I mean I approach elections as a science, there are indicators that need to be met, there are boxes that need to be checked. when I say we’re doing gap 20,000, I have a clearly mapped out, polling station by polling station, what we need to do in each polling station, how we’re going to increase the margin, so I have a plan” he stated.