Though the constituency has a lot of Zongo communities who are perceived to be supporters of the ruling party, the NDC, since the 2000 elections, has been trying to win the constituency to no avail.
The defectors, made up of branch executives of the ruling party and other dyed-in-the-wool supporters, were outdoored on Sunday at a colourful ceremony at Tafo which was attended by leading members of the NPP.
Present at the occasion were Alhaji Moctar Bamba, national organizer of the NPP, George Ayisi Boateng, a leading member of the party in the Ashanti region, Alhaji Akwasi Yeboah, former District Chief Executive for Kwabre East and J.K Owusu Boakye aka ‘Abito’, special assistant to Hon Anthony Akoto Osei, MP for the area, among others.
Assigning reasons for their defection to the NPP, the leader of the defectors, Jaffar Saed, said the poor performance of the President Mills-led government, which had brought untold hardship to the citizenry, was a major reason for their action.
He stated that the failure on the part of the leading members of the party particularly, Johnson Asiedu Nketia aka ‘General Mosquito’, to fulfill numerous promises made to them also informed their decision to quit the ruling party.
According to him, General Mosquito, in the heat of the 2008 electioneering campaign, came to Tafo and promised to offer them well-paid jobs and also send others abroad if they worked assiduously to enable the NDC to win power, something they did diligently.
“Since the President Mills-led government assumed the reins of government, General Mosquito has failed to fulfill the promise made to them in spite of the several calls to remind him of the promise,” Saed noted.
He indicated that though they were not members of the NPP, the MP for the area had assisted them in diverse ways, a development which made them confirm their decision to join hands with the NPP.
The leader said since the news of their intention of joining the NPP was made public, leading members of the NDC including the Ashanti regional secretary of the party, Joseph Yamin, frequented their homes to persuade them with money but they rejected the offers.
Saed, who claimed that his group was instrumental in the figure the NDC recorded in the 2008 elections, vowed to work extra hard to ensure that the NPP did not only increase votes in the Tafo/Pankrono constituency but the region as a whole.
He denied allegations that they were influenced with money to join the NPP, stressing that if it was money, they would not have joined the NPP but would have remained in the NDC because the party was in power.
J.K Owusu Boakye, who represented the MP for the area, welcomed the defectors and assured them their contribution would be respected and that the party would never desert them, whether in opposition or in government.
He urged them to embark on a serious campaign as soon as possible to convince supporters of other parties, particularly the NDC, to vote for the NPP in the 2012 elections, stressing that the time to break the Zongo jinx was now.
Mr Ayisi Boateng entreated the defectors to remain resolute and steadfast in their relationship with the NPP, indicating that announcing ones defection to another party was not enough but what was important was commitment to work for that party.
He promised that the party would do everything within its reach to ensure that their stay in the NPP became comfortable and worthwhile, prophesying that come what may, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo would become the next President of Ghana in 2012.
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