-for Monopolizing Positions

As indigenes of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) electoral ‘World Bank’ complain bitterly of seeming neglect by President John Mahama in his appointments of ministers and executives for state institutions, a senior Member of Parliament (MP) of the party has rebuff the accusation.

Describing Voltarians making the accusation as not been fair to the facts on the ground, the NDC legislator stated that a cursory assessment of the geographical background of the president’s appointees point to the contrary.

According to the MP, Voltarians have dominated all appointments in the Mahama government from the Ministers, deputy Ministers, Ambassadors, Chief Executives of Public Corporations, Board Members, Parliamentary Leadership, Flag Staff House appointees and the National Executive level of the party among others.

Reacting to a recent publication by The aL-hAJJ on how indigenes of the NDC’s world bank feel marginalized in the present government, the NDC MP, who does not want his name mentioned, stated “the facts on the ground does not support the accusations being made by my brothers from the Volta region.”

“Indeed, if they want to be fair to the facts, they should call for all the appointments and analyze them carefully. Maybe they are making such claims because Voltarians who have been appointed are not known NDC faces or popular names in the region,” he explained

Admitting that the Volta region stands out as the only region whose contributions to the electoral successes of the ruling party is overwhelming, the astute legislator stated “it cannot be gainsaid that the Volta region remains the only region that vote en bloc for the NDC, but I think they have been duly compensated. Take a look at those occupying sensitive positions in parliament on the majority side, they are all Voltarians…right from the Speaker through to the deputy majority leader to chairmen and raking members of some select committees in parliament…they are all from the Volta region.”

The NDC MP, however, blamed the situation on the Chief of Staff, Mr Douglass Prosper KwakuBani, who he accused of concentrating almost all appointments meant for the Volta region in his native central Volta.

“While I chastise my brothers from the Volta region for not being fair to the facts, I must confess that to some extent they have a case, especially when you check the ethnic background of Voltarians serving in this government. Almost all of them are from the Kpando-Hohoe-Jasikan areas where the Chief of Staff comes from. The Northern and Southern sector of the Volta region may be under represented, so for me if there is anybody to be blamed, it must be the Chief of Staff…and if we don’t take steps to solve this problem; it can cause us in 2016. Already, chiefs in the region too have started saying the NDC has let them down and that is dangerous,” the MP noted.

Indigenes of the ruling party’s World Bank have in recent times been complaining of lack of developmental projects occasioned by what they described as seeming neglect by the Mahama administration in terms of appointments.

They complain that as the region that has given the ruling party bloc votes in all presidential and parliamentary elections since the inception of multi-party democracy only three of their people have been appointed ministers as against opposition second stronghold of Eastern region which has been rewarded with five cabinet minister.

Responding to complaints by the chiefs and people of the Volta region during his recent visit, President Mahama stated that his government will under no circumstance take the development of the region for granted, assuring “you can never, ever be taken for granted and I will never take you for granted.”