The Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) can no longer call the Northern Region their 'World Bank' in elections.

According to her, the era when the NDC dominated the Northern Region is over, as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has now made significant inroads, turning the region into a 'susu box' for the NDC.

Speaking in an interview with Peace FM’s Kwami Sefa Kayi, on the Kokrokoo Morning Show, on July 29, 2024, the minister explained that historically, it was challenging for the NPP to win elections or gain votes in the northern regions.

However, this trend has changed over time, she said.

“General, something is happening up there. It is very interesting what is happening up there. I believe that over the period, when you take a closer look at the history of Ghana’s politics, at least under the Fourth Republic and the tangent we were on those days, the NDC thought the Northern Region, which we know as the five regions in the north—Savannah, Northern Region, North East Region, Upper East, and Upper West—was their world bank. But now it has become a susu box, and things are getting serious,” she stated.

Fatimatu continued by explaining that the reason people believe things are changing, particularly in the Northern Region, is due to the two leading candidates from both political parties, who are also descendants of the region.

She also mentioned that there was a time when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not receive any votes from the region.

However, she said things have changed and now, the NPP holds seats in the region, just like the NDC.

She said “People say it is more serious now because of the two bold candidates for the two leading parties, both from northern descents: Dr. Bawumia from the North-East Region and former President Mahama from the Savannah Region. But in a bigger picture, they both come from what we used to call the Northern Region.

“… Initially, the NPP didn’t get votes from the north, not even seats. I know there have been elections where in some regions we didn’t get any votes. But over the periods, we know that when you look critically at the Northern Region properly, the NDC has nine seats, and the NPP also has nine seats.”

Listing the number of seats the NPP currently holds in the Northern Region, the minister said, “In the North East Region, the NPP has four seats, and the NDC has two seats. In Savannah, the NDC has four seats, and the NPP has three seats. So, the three regions that were separated, when put together, the NPP leads the NDC with one seat, creating a lot of attention.”

The information minister added that she believes that the introduction of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) running mate by President Akufo-Addo in 2008 has had a significant impact.

She also said that this move could be a key reason for the changing political dynamics in the Northern Region.

“So, every single election, especially when Dr. Bawumia was introduced as a running mate from 2008, when you look at elections from 2004, 2008, 2012 to date, the NPP keeps coming up. In fact, in the last election, in the North East Region, the NPP beat the NDC in the presidential ballots.

"... People realized that they lost some seats in some areas, especially in Accra and in the Central Region, but they were surprised when they realized we were still able to maintain the majority because the gains and inroads we made in the northern part of the country were so impressive,” she said.

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