Kofi Tontoh, a political aide to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has expressed his excitement and satisfaction with the warm reception the campaign team received during their tour of the Volta Region.

According to Tontoh, the enthusiastic response from the people is a testament to the growing acceptance of the NPP in a region traditionally known to be a stronghold of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News with host Umaru Sanda Amadu, Mr. Tontoh highlighted that the NPP’s support base in the Volta Region has steadily improved over the years, a development he attributed to the vision and policies of Bawumia.

He described how the campaign team was warmly received at every stop during their visit to the region, with crowds eagerly coming out to show their support.

Mr. Tontoh went on to describe the scenes as the campaign team travelled through various towns, emphasising the spontaneous and organic nature of the support they encountered.

He also alleged that the NDC, feeling threatened by the NPP’s increasing popularity in the region, resorted to desperate tactics to prevent people from showing support for Bawumia’s campaign.

According to him, the NDC engaged in door-to-door efforts, warning people against coming out to meet the NPP team.

“We have been surprised at the reception. If you look at 2020, our voter share was 14 percent and if you juxtapose that to the reception, it tells you that the NPP is making an incursion.

“You are in the Volta region and you see people running out of their houses shouting it is possible and this is an indication of organic love. Everywhere we go, you see the youth meeting us and shouting after us and this shows that we are well received. Our intel tells us that the NDC had to go house to house to tell the people not to come out and meet us.”

In response to allegations that the NPP had paid people to line the streets and demonstrate their support, Mr. Tontoh vehemently denied these claims.

Reports had circulated that individuals were paid as much as GH¢500 each to show up at campaign events.

However, Bawumia’s political aide dismissed these allegations as baseless and unrealistic.

“The Volta region has over One million and is the NPP the Bank of Ghana to be giving people GH¢500 to come out to support us? It is Bawumia’s ideas and policies that is getting the people attracted to him. The youth are attracted to the man with a vision and clear agenda for them.”