A young man from Larabanga, Alhassan Baharu, has alleged that some elderly and vulnerable residents of Damongo have been taken off the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme because of their perceived support for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to Mr. Baharu, many beneficiaries known to be NPP sympathizers, who had been receiving the cash support under the previous government, have had their names deleted. He claims they have been replaced with persons he describes as NDC foot soldiers.
He alleges the removals are punishment for residents who did not vote for the NDC parliamentary candidate in the 2024 elections, and who instead voted for the NPP candidate, lawyer Samuel Abu Jinapor, as Member of Parliament for Damongo.
Mr. Baharu noted that LEAP was introduced under President John Agyekum Kufuor to fight poverty, and was continued by the late President John Evans Atta Mills and by President John Dramani Mahama in his first term. He said it was expanded under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. In his view, under all these governments, anyone who qualified benefited regardless of party colour.
“Today under Mahama 2, the story in Damongo is different,” he said. “This is not social protection.”
He has called on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to immediately reinstate all removed beneficiaries in Damongo, stressing that “poverty has no party colour.”
