.Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a North Tongu member of parliament, claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not need to mention voting to the residents of Mepe in the Vola Region.
Mr. Ablakwa said that because the populace is currently experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe, now is not the appropriate moment to discuss who votes for which party and who does not vote.
“I don’t think now is the right time to talk about elections; this is a humanitarian issue; people have been drowned; entire neighborhoods have been inundated; and the VRA is still leaking.
“All signs point to a large number of other communities being impacted. At this moment, I’m not worried about the election; instead, I’m worried about protecting lives and making sure that people are protected in the various 19 caps that we have established, Mr. Ablakwa said on Monday to TV3.
It took a lot of public agitation for him to form the interministerial committee and then to come and visit us here, but they say better late than never, so we acknowledge his visit, the speaker continued. “I think that those comments [by the President] are not necessary at this point, my people think that his response was too late, the way he swiftly comments on disasters elsewhere particularly in other countries we didn’t see that in this. We want to see what plans are being made to improve the situation of our people, not just pay a visit or make empty statements.
Mr. Akufo-Addo declared on Monday, October 16, that he serves as president for all Ghanaians, regardless of whether they voted for him or not, to the residents of Mepe who had been devastated by the flood caused by the dam spill.
The president assured the chiefs and citizens of Mepe and other towns in the North, South, and Central Tongu areas of the Region—strongholds of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)—that the government would do everything in its power to make matters better for them.
He declared, “Once I have taken the oath of office, I am the president of all the people, regardless of whether they voted for me or not. When I took the oath of office as president, I took the oath of office as president for every single person in Ghana.
“So Togbe, you and your elders, I want you to comprehend that when something like this occurs and the government takes action, the government is acting on behalf of Ghanaians.
There has been widespread criticism of president @NAkufoAddo after his comments linking his visit to communities submerged by the spilling of the Akosombo dam to votes.
There's more in the following report. #TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/5BozAdQ0aQ
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) October 17, 2023
“I came here because it is my job to try and assist Ghanaians who are struggling and suffering. You shouldn’t be here if it’s a matter of calculating who votes for me and who doesn’t because you don’t vote for me, but that’s not what I care about. In any case, you’ll support me and my party when the time comes.
“I came here this afternoon to show my thoughts and to offer my condolences to everyone in the Mepe area. I chose Mepe because it is the area that has been most severely hit.
We must also express our gratitude to VRA for their efforts, including the years of preparation they have put into such a situation, the simulation exercise, and all the other things they have done to get ready, such as sensitization. By the grace of God, not one person has lost his life in this crisis because of the good they have done up to this point, he remarked.
He emphasized that “whatever is possible within the scope of the government to alleviate this situation will be done.”
The flooding has a negative influence on the children’s education, health, mobility, access to shelter, and food in the affected towns.
