2024 polls: 'If they shoot one NDC member, we'll also shoot an NPP member' - NDC's Gbande

Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's congratulatory message to his party and their candidate, James Gyakye Quayson after winning the Assin North by-election is ‘needless’.

According to him, the president deliberately ignored to comment on the various attacks on national executives’ members of the NDC in his message.

Mustapha Gbande suggests that the president’s posture was ‘hypocritical’ and must publicly condemn the attacks.

“If he [President Nana Addo] doesn’t condemn the attempt by the government and the NPP to kill the National Youth Organizer of the NDC, the attempt to kill the National Communication Officer of the NDC, the attempt to kill the deputy National Communication Officer of the NDC . . . Nana Addo didn't see that?” he said in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show, 'Ghana Montie'.

" . . We are well prepared, we will return to them the same gesture if the need arise . . . if they shoot one NDC member we'll also shoot an NPP member, that's the way to go in 2024," he added.

Listen to interview

Nana Addo’s message after the election

The NDC's candidate, James Gyakye Quayson was declared the winner of the by-election by the Electoral Commission (EC), Tuesday evening.

He garnered 17,245 of the total valid votes cast representing 57.56% beating his close contender from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Charles Opoku who had 12,630 votes representing 42.15 percent.

Reacting to the outcome of the by-election on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, President Akufo-Addo stated:

"Yesterday, Tuesday, 27th June 2023, Ghana’s democratic credentials were strengthened even further, following the conduct of peaceful and credible elections in the Assin North by-election.

I congratulate warmly the Chairperson and Members of the Electoral Commission, again, for a job well done. The security services are to be commended for maintaining law and order during the holding of the elections; as is the media for providing extensive coverage before, during and after the elections.

I congratulate the National Democratic Congress on its victory yesterday.

I urge members of my party, the New Patriotic Party, to keep their heads up, recognising that, in a democracy, there are winners and losers, and that we live to fight another day. We once held the Assin North seat, and I am confident that, sooner rather than later, Assin North will be blue again.

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