Residents of Mandari in the Bole District of the Savannah Region have taken to the streets to register their frustration and displeasure against the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over what they say is a betrayal of their long-standing political loyalty to the party.The demonstrators, who were mostly youth, claimed they have supported and voted for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in all political elections for the past 34 years, but have nothing to show for their efforts and commitment.The youth were dressed in red and marched through the principal streets of Mandari amid brass band music. They were clad in red armbands and carried placards with inscriptions such as: “34 Years of Political Neglect, NDC Why?”, “We Need Jobs”, “We Need SHS”, and “We Need a Polyclinic”, among several other demands.At the town clinic, they brought out room carpets that were being used as bedspreads in the facility’s only ward to underscore their call for the clinic to be upgraded into a polyclinic.In their petition titled “Urgent Developmental Needs for the Mandari Community”, the spokesperson for the group, Tiffu Boron Son, noted that the systematic neglect of Mandari has reached a level that threatens the dignity, well-being and economic future of the people, owing to acute infrastructure deficits and developmental challenges.“It is particularly significant to note that Mandari has, since the dawn of Ghana’s Fourth Republic in 1992, consistently and overwhelmingly voted en bloc for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in both presidential and parliamentary elections, a testament to our deep-rooted belief in the NDC’s vision of social democracy and equitable development.”“Mandari has voted for the NDC for years, but what do we have to show for it? We have zero projects to credit to the NDC, and not a single person in our community has secured a strategic job through them. Every piece of infrastructure we enjoy—our schools, clinic, market, electricity, library and toilet facilities—was delivered by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), even though we didn’t vote for them,” Tiffu explained.On the need for a functional health facility, the youth indicated that the existing clinic lacks the capacity to serve the current population of Mandari and three neighbouring communities. They said the facility is critically undersized, with women and men sharing four beds in a single room.“The existing clinic structure is critically inadequate, forcing all genders, including pregnant women, to share a single ward with four beds despite having different medical conditions,” they stated. “This situation constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to privacy, dignity and quality healthcare enshrined in Ghana’s Constitution and the National Health Policy.”The petition also highlighted the need for a Senior High School, deliberate and targeted government intervention to channel employment opportunities and public sector recruitment to qualified residents of Mandari, improved access to water, and the extension of government flagship programmes. It further called for the implementation of government-sponsored skills training programmes in agro-processing and artisanship for economic empowerment.Some of the demonstrators later shared their views with the news team.Seventy-five-year-old Jewu Bakari said he had voted for the NDC in every election he had participated in.“But every election year, our people bring GH¢1 notes and share them around. If they really want to develop Mandari, is it GH¢1 notes they should be distributing to residents? We are tired of those old tricks. What we need is a better healthcare system, jobs for our children and potable water in Mandari. And if we don’t see these changes before the 2028 elections, Mandari will surprise the NDC,” he stated.“The NDC belongs to us, and President Mahama is from here. But trust me, unless we see improvements, not even our executives can come to us. Some of us will take a bold decision, and we believe others will learn from Mandari, because we are only needed during election periods,” Madam Aramata Sulemana said.Comparing the demonstration to others he had witnessed, 45-year-old Osman Mumuni said: “What I know about demonstrations is that they are good and peaceful. The youth in Bole demonstrated and burnt tyres, and the President rewarded them with a ministerial appointment for the Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi. But when we want to demonstrate, everybody is running around trying to stop us. No. We need to demonstrate. This is not the end; it is the beginning of several things to come.”The youth also stated that the younger brother of a deceased person who was knocked down by the vehicle of the Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi, Yussif Sulemana, during a political float ahead of the 2024 general elections, is paralysed and confined to a wheelchair without any form of compensation from the MP.“To make matters worse, our MP, Yussif Sulemana Ori, brought tragedy to our doorstep. His convoy killed one of our brothers and left another wheelchair-bound, yet he has abandoned the family and failed to honour his promise of help. He hasn’t even checked on the survivor. Let this demonstration serve as a warning: this is only the beginning. If they refuse to act on our concerns, we promise that Mandari will be a bitter experience for him and his executives in the next phase of action,” Kipo Gymah indicated.Joy News reached out to the MP for the area, Mr Sulemana, for his side of the story, but in a raised tone, he exclaimed: “You can go ahead and publish their allegations. I don’t have anything to add.”Joy News sources can confirm that there were several failed attempts to persuade the youth to call off their planned demonstration. One such intervention came from the Chief of the area, Mandariwura Seidu Gilbert Iddi.He met with the youth on two occasions, and during the second meeting, the youth agreed to a three-month waiting period to allow the chief to work towards addressing some of their concerns. However, trust later broke down, and they removed their youth president, alleging that he had compromised his position as their leader because of his employment with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).The chief, who later confirmed his engagement with the youth to persuade them to stay off the streets, told Joy News that he was taken by surprise when they went ahead with the demonstration.After serving notice on the police and engaging them face-to-face, officers travelled to Mandari late at night in an attempt to convince the demonstrators to stand down. However, the effort failed, and the demonstration proceeded peacefully.