NPP rigged 2004 elections – Suhuyini

A parliamentary aspirant in the upcoming National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) primaries, Alhassan Suhuyini has said he is convinced that the election held in the year 2004 was won by the NDC.

This, he said, is because the NDC had initiated a number of development projects for the people of the north and the nation as a whole thus could not fathom why the party was defeated.

He alleged that the NDC lost because of what he described as “manipulations in the system” in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“I am convinced that we won the 2004 election but for the manipulations of the system at that time and because the NDC had a terrific candidate in the person of Prof. Mills who put the peace of this country above anything else the NDC I’m sure we would have fought through the nail to take that victory that we so won,” he said.

Alhassan Suhuyini who made the claims on the Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News argued that he had followed keenly the “work that NDC had put into the election” saying “I was a journalist then and I followed the event actively.”

“I recalled as a child that we didn’t have electricity before 2000 in the North. We had it in selected communities in Tamale. And even the light use to come on at 10pm and go off at 5am every morning and the brightness of the light could be compared to the light of a match stick.

"The NPP at the time challenged the NDC to reduce the price of Kerosene than extending electricity to us. That was their campaign message. Even at that tender age I thought that electricity was much important to us than Kerosene. We didn’t have motorable road in the north but by the year 2000 a contractor was in the Tamale metropolis and constructed that highway to Bolga. By 2000 we could watch television and our colleagues marching at 6th march.”

I wept when NDC lost 2000 election

The astute broadcaster who also worked as a polling agent said due to the NDC’s hard work he was very sad they lost the election in 2000 saying he “wept” but was hopeful they could win power in 2004.

“I recalled that there was a foreign lady observer who came to put her hand around me to console me and told me that my party had worked so hard and that she was convinced that in less than four years the people of Ghana were going to elect the NDC again to come to power.”

He said again in the 2004 polls things did not go their way explaining that the NDC raised concerns but said “it was a matter that was to be proven…but for District Assembly election that came up and the electoral commission decided to destroy some materials, I am sure that the proof was in the electoral materials that the EC destroyed.”

My MP bid not for self-gratification

Touching on his political aspiration, Alhassan Suhuyini who has picked nomination forms to contest in the primaries in the Tamale North Constituency explained that his bid is not for self-gratification but to serve his people.

“This venture that I am engaged in is not one to self-glorify.

"I’m not looking to be an MP because I want to boast with it or use it to open doors. I think that I have already, fortunately by the grace of God, the keys to open the doors that some people are seeking to open with this title. All I am saying is that I want the opportunity to serve, so that my people will not say that you were in Accra, you were with all the big men but you didn’t come home to serve,” he added.

Alhassan Suhuyini who will file his nomination forms on Thursday is in the race with five others including incumbent MP for the area, Alhassan Dahamani.