The failure of President John Dramani Mahama to fulfil his promises to supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sparked unrest in his hometown, Bole, a few days after eight NDC thugs were shot dead and several others injured in Obuasi.
Supporters of the NDC in Bole yesterday demonstrated against Mr Mahama’s failure to fulfil his promise of nominating Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi, for a ministerial appointment. The aggrieved youth destroyed properties in the area, burnt car tyres in front of the house of Mr Mahama’s father, and threatened to burn the NDC office in the area unless the promise to the MP is fulfilled.
Mr John Mahama recently concluded the nomination of 22 substantive ministers for the newly constituted ministries, following the reduction in the number of government ministries from 29 to 23. Missing from the list was the name of the MP for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency, infuriating the NDC youth in the constituency.
The youth argue that President Mahama did not appoint anyone from Bole, including their late MP, into his first government and is about to repeat his actions, despite assuring them of a ministerial position during the campaign. They claim they have been used and dumped once by the President and will not sit idly by for it to happen again.
Meanwhile, some residents in the constituency have described the situation as embarrassing. Mahama Haruna, General Manager of Bole-based Nkilgi FM, stated that “any action by NDC youth in Bole will only embarrass President John Dramani Mahama in the eyes of Ghanaians,” noting that everyone in the area had expected the MP to be made a minister.