At his campaign event in the Ashanti Region, John Dramani Mahama, the presidential candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), expressed surprise at the large number of supporters. On Sunday, December 1, thousands of NDC supporters, dressed in party colors, poured into Kumasi's streets to take part in a walk called "Enti Asanteman aseda ni?" which translates to "Is this the thank you the people of the Ashanti Region get?" In order to gain more than 30% of the vote in the Ashanti Region, which is home to the ruling NPP, the NDC is using the walk as part of its effort to mobilize voters. Speaking to the assembly, Mr. Mahama yelled:
Do I have a dream? Is this Kumasi? Is this the region of Ashanti? Dr. Bawumia and his supporters are experiencing insomnia because of this, eiii! Despite the area being the party's base, he charged that the ruling NPP was treating it unfairly: The NPP hasn't been fair to Asanteman, to be honest. The bulk of their votes nationwide come from this region, however the majority of the projects they pledged have not been finished. They accomplished very nothing in eight years, and now that elections are coming up, they are hurrying to complete projects. It's all a fraud.
Additionally, John Mahama made fun of Dr. Bawumia of the NPP for what he called an unsuccessful attempt to undermine the NDC's campaign in the Ashanti Region: We had planned to visit the Ashanti Region following the Oti Region at the end of October, but we had to postpone it to accommodate Dr. Bawumia's campaign in order to prevent any conflicts. But now that his trip is over, he's back in Kumasi to continue his campaign. Whether he likes it or not, the NDC will win even if he brings Hajia Samira Bawumia and his kids to Kumasi for the election.
During his current Ashanti Region trip, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP's presidential candidate, did not hold back and took his own shots at John Mahama. Mahama was made fun of by Dr. Bawumia for purportedly avoiding a debate before the elections. As Ghana gets closer to the important presidential and legislative elections on Saturday, December 7, the teasing underscores the tense environment.