Former President, John Dramani Mahama has said that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will work hard to restore hope and dignity to Ghanaians when voted into power.

According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government had plunged the country into a long dark abyss with its abysmal performance and poor policies which have worsened the socio-economic conditions of Ghanaians.

The former President made this statement at a grand durbar to climax activities that marked the 2023 celebration of Somé Tutu Za (festival) of the Chiefs and people of Somé Traditional Area at Agbozume in the Ketu South Municipality on Saturday, November 25, 2023.

"The NPP has refused to listen to anybody. They have refused to listen to wise counsel - and by their actions and inactions, they have plunged this promising nation into a long dark abyss. Today we can all attest to the fact that nothing is working for Ghanaians. The cost of living has become unbearable. Businesses are suffering, many of them have collapsed and are still collapsing. Unemployment is the highest in the history of Ghana"

"Naked arrogance of power is on proud display and broad daylight corruption is their stock in trade. Our currency today is at its lowest peak and our credit rating is considered junk status," Mahama said.

The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said the country cannot continue on the path of economic mismanagement and the abuse of power.

"My brothers and sisters, we cannot continue this path - today we are witnessing a mass exodus of our youth to any and every destination in waves we've never seen before. Hope in our black shining star of Africa is being fast eroded".

It is imperative that we work together to turn things around and restore hope in this beautiful land of ours," he added.

The former President said the next NDC government is passionately committed to creating jobs through the deliberate and proper implementation of a 24-hour economy which will change the economic structure of the country.

He empathized with the flood victims of the recent Akosombo and Kpong Dams spillage by the Volta River Authority (VRA) which has unfortunately displaced families, rendered many homeless, destroyed livelihoods and other valuables and pledged the NDC's solidarity for the affected persons.

Mahama commended all Members of Parliament (MPs) from the region for staying behind their constituents in these trying times.

"The next NDC government will do all in its power to continue to support people recover from this adversity", he said.

He said although Ghana is going through difficult times, there were projects that the NDC was committed to.

"Projects that have been started under our tenure that have been abandoned since the NPP came into office and one of these projects is the Sea Defense project which was started but has been abandoned since 2017. We will continue this project in order to bring some relief to our people from the constant tidal waves they are suffering from," Mahama stated.

"We will continue important projects that we began during our past administration, such as the town roads in the Municipalities, the Ho-Denu road, the Volivo bridge over the Volta River, and other crucial roads in the region, especially the eastern corridor road to promote trade between Ghana and Togo as we promised in our 2020 manifesto", he added.

"Now as we come together to build the Ghana we want together, let us stand firm in our determination to create a brighter future for ourselves. Let us turn this adversity into an opportunity for growth and stability - united we can rebuild our communities, we can restore what has been lost and we can forge a path towards a better tomorrow.

Our strength is in our resilience, in our unwavering spirit - I have no doubt that together we shall overcome the storm, and Ghana our dear country shall rise again," the former President admonished.

The festival was patronized by tens of thousands of Somé indigenes and well-wishers from home and abroad.

It was celebrated on the theme: "Unifying all of Somé for her total development."