Mr. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a leading contender for the 2020 flagbearership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has pledged to transform the party to turn its fortunes around.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Nadowli/Kaleo Constituency blamed shortcomings in the NDC and its leadership for the party’s abysmal performance in the previous administration.
“The legacy we left was that of poverty, corruption, hardship and worst of all, one million vote deficit.”
Mr. Bagbin said this when he met with party executives from Akatsi North, Akatsi South, South Tongu, Central Tongu and North Tongu constituencies at Sogakope on Friday, August 17 as part of his tour of the Volta Region.
He promised to unite the party and bring back every neglected member especially, the Founder and former President Jerry John Rawlings, saying, “the NDC cannot win power without the founder.”
He also said MPs will have offices in the constituencies they represent so as to be in touch with the constituents.
“Under my leadership every MP will have an office in his constituency and have people who will go round to gather information for him and this will make the MP know what pertains on the ground to be in the position to address them.”
Mr. Bagbin said he planned of making some proposals for some articles in the party constitution to be amended to allow for the party’s national chairman to be considered the leader of the party when in government instead of the president who may be busy with national assignments.
He added, “same applies to regional ministers and district chief executives who become automatic leaders of the party when we are in government. The respective elected party chairmen for the regions and constituencies should lead the party in order to inform the appointees on happenings.”
The flagbearer hopeful said under his leadership, a provision will be made in the constitution to reward loyal and long serving party executives while building a strong partnership with the media especially the pro-NDC media, most of which he said “had collapsed under the previous government.”
By: Fred Duhoe/voltaonlinegh.com