Concerned members and supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Larabanga electoral area of the Damongo Constituency in the Savannah Region have submitted a petition to President John Dramani Mahama, expressing profound disappointment over perceived years of neglect and marginalisation despite their unwavering loyalty to the party.

In a strongly worded petition submitted on December 10, 2025, and addressed to the president via the Savannah Regional Minister, the group emphasised that Larabanga had consistently been a stronghold of the NDC but has received inadequate recognition in terms of appointments and opportunities. 

According to the petitioners, the community has historically played a vital role in defending and sustaining the NDC in the Damongo Constituency, even under challenging political circumstances.

They noted that elders, youth and families in Larabanga had made significant sacrifices to ensure electoral victories for the party, yet these efforts have not been rewarded. 

“Larabanga has been the NDC’s shield,” the petition stated, adding that the continued exclusion of the community from appointments had created “deep emotional wounds” and growing disillusionment among party faithful.

The group stressed that Larabanga is not a peripheral community but a cultural and spiritual pillar of the Damongo Constituency, and, therefore, deserves a fair share of opportunities that come with political power. 

They argued that equity and justice demanded that appointments at both regional and national levels reflect the contributions of all loyal communities within the constituency.

The petitioners also highlighted the spiritual support Larabanga had consistently offered the NDC, noting that local imams regularly pray for the success and well-being of President Mahama and the party. 

They described it as “emotionally devastating” that a community that offered such support remained sidelined when opportunities arise.

Raising political concerns, the group warned that the perceived neglect had opened the door for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to make inroads into Larabanga.

They cautioned that unless urgent steps were taken, the community could shift from being an NDC stronghold to a political battleground.

One of the most striking concerns raised in the petition is the comparison with the period when the NPP was in power. The group pointed out that under the NPP, Larabanga produced a Municipal Chief Executive, a Regional Minister and had representation on the Hajj Board appointments they say have not been matched under an NDC government. 

They further noted that Larabanga had many qualified professionals, including lawyers, administrators, security experts, economists and development practitioners, who are loyal to the NDC but had not been considered for appointments. Special mention was made of the Kamara family, historically linked to the first imams of the Gonja Kingdom, whose members, according to the petition, have remained active at the grassroots level of the party.

The petition also lamented the plight of party activists who led campaigns and mobilised support for the NDC but now feel embarrassed to return to their communities without tangible evidence of inclusion or reward.

“A few appointments will revive an entire community,” the petitioners argued, adding that the absence of identifiable government appointees from Larabanga had also disadvantaged local youth seeking guidance during ongoing recruitment into security services and other government institutions.

The group appealed to President Mahama to intervene decisively, urging him to ensure that qualified sons and daughters of Larabanga were appointed into national and regional positions, and that the community’s standing within the NDC was restored.

They also called on regional and constituency party leadership to stop sidelining Larabanga, insisting that the community should not only be remembered during election campaigns and forgotten after victory.

The petition, signed by Ibrahim Abu-Nawas, Secretary and Spokesperson for the group, was copied to the National Chairman of the NDC, the Savannah Regional Chairman, the Savannah Regional Council of Elders, the West Gonja Municipal Chief Executive and the Damongo Constituency Chairman of the party.

The petitioners concluded by reaffirming their spiritual and political support for President Mahama and the NDC, while appealing for fairness, inclusion and recognition to heal what they described as long-standing emotional wounds within the community.