"When they bring the rice, take it and vote against them" – Dumelo

Parliamentary candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Setor Dumelo, has urged voters to reject the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the ballot box in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, 7th December 2024. However, he advised them to accept any food or items distributed by the NPP in attempts to sway votes, then proceed to vote against the party.

His remark follows controversy during the December 2nd special voting exercise, where the incumbent MP and NPP candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, distributed packs of rice to voters at the Legon Police Station polling centre. The incident has drawn widespread criticism from the public and stakeholders, with Dumelo lodging a formal complaint with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Addressing a large crowd at the NDC’s final campaign rally at Zurak Park in Madina on Thursday, 5th December, Dumelo said:

When they bring the money, take it. When they bring the rice, take it. When they bring the salt, take it. When they bring everything, take it and vote against them. On the 7th of December, we are resetting Ghana in the right direction.

Dumelo also called on Ghanaians to vote massively for NDC presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama and himself as MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon.

At the same rally, NDC National Youth Organiser George Opare Addo, popularly known as Pablo, accused the NPP government of mismanaging the country and likened its administration to a “criminal organisation.”

Pablo warned President Akufo-Addo against clinging to power should the NDC win the election, vowing to protect the party’s votes on Election Day.

President Mahama handed over to you a peaceful nation. We are challenging you and we are daring you that anything you do otherwise that handing over will not result well.

The 2024 elections are poised to be one of Ghana's most pivotal, with both parties fiercely vying for control of the presidency and parliament.

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