Asiedu Nketia has been touring since 2021, not plotting new campaign, says Dafeamekpor

Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has dismissed claims that NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia is using his ongoing nationwide Thank You Tour to quietly campaign for a future presidential bid.

Speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, the South Dayi MP said the NDC chairman has been undertaking similar tours since 2021 and insisted there was nothing unusual about the current exercise.

Responding to suggestions that the tour was positioning Mr Asiedu Nketia ahead of possible future flagbearer contests, the South Dayi MP said he had not personally discussed such ambitions with the chairman.

“Number one, I don’t know. I speak to the party chairman often, even today we spoke, but I haven’t had the opportunity to ask him about this,” he said.

Mr Dafeamekpor explained that the latest round of constituency visits began after the NDC completed post-election regional engagements following ministerial appointments.

“What I do know is that he’s been doing this tour from about April 2025, just when John Mahama finished with the appointment of ministers and did the regional tours,” he stated.

According to him, concerns were raised within the party that constituency-level supporters had not been adequately appreciated after the 2024 elections.

“The deficit of not visiting the constituencies came up at a national executive meeting, where complaints were coming that the old man came around and they understood, but the party ought to come,” he said.

“They said the party ought to come to the grounds to come and show gratitude, because they fought hard, we’ve been in opposition for eight years.”

Mr Dafeamekpor noted that the chairman’s visits had taken nearly a year because of the scale and logistics involved.

“You know, logistical mobilisation to visit these constituencies is no joke. So he’s been doing it methodically, I think he will soon finish,” he added.

He said the chairman’s engagements with party faithful, chiefs, queen mothers and other groups who supported the NDC should not automatically be interpreted as a presidential campaign.

“I don’t know how that dovetails or feeds into some agenda of campaigning as a flag,” he said.

When asked whether the tour was giving Mr Asiedu Nketia an unfair advantage over others who may later contest for the NDC flagbearer slot, Mr Dafeamekpor pushed back strongly.

“I think the question you should ask the people is whether the chairman is going round claiming to be a flag bearer?” he asked.

The Majority Chief Whip also rejected claims that the current tour’s visibility was unprecedented.

“Yes. We were in opposition, go and check the records,” he said when asked whether Mr Asiedu Nketia undertook a similar exercise in 2021.

He recalled that the NDC chairman visited several communities in his own constituency during the earlier tour.

“He visited Kpeve, he visited Piki, he visited Tongo, we took him to the Dzemeni market,” he recounted.

Mr Dafeamekpor said the 2021 tour focused on energising party supporters after the disputed 2020 election results.

“He wants to assure them that we had won elections, but we were cheated, so they should keep faith with us, and that in 2024 he’s going to lead the team, and he will annihilate the NPP,” he said.

“So it is not true that this is the first time he’s doing Thank You Tour as chairman after a general election.”

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)