There comes a time when silence itself becomes an indictment. For too long, the Paga–Chiana Constituency has been the loyal “missus” in Ghana’s political household, a faithful, steadfast, and unflinchingly devoted to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since the dawn of the Fourth Republic.
Election after election, the people have voted red, green, and black with the devotion of the true believer. Yet, the reward for this fidelity has been neglect so glaring it now borders on betrayal.
While others have been courted with appointments, development projects, and political recognition, Paga–Chiana has watched from the margins, clapping for others’ weddings while remaining forever the forgotten spouse.
The constituency that once gave all its votes, its energy, its unwavering trust — now stands in the cold, wondering what sin it has committed against the very family it helped to build.
From the first Parliament of the Fourth Republic to the present day, the pattern has been painfully consistent: Paga–Chiana votes massively for the NDC, yet the corridor of power remains closed to her sons and daughters.
No ministerial portfolios, no board chairmanships, no significant appointments to the commanding heights of governance. The story has been one of endless loyalty, rewarded with tokenism and polite excuses.
The paradox is cruel. Those who flirt with political infidelity the swing constituencies, the fair-weather friends, are courted and pampered. Promises are made to win them over. But those who stand firm, who do not waver, are taken for granted, as though loyalty were a curse.
The Paga–Chiana Constituency has become the dependable wife left alone on the veranda, while the wayward lovers dine at the table of privilege.
And yet, this constituency is not devoid of capable individuals. It has produced scholars, administrators, lawyers, teachers, soldiers, and technocrats of remarkable caliber.
It has given Ghana patriots whose intellect and integrity could serve any government with distinction. But when the lists of appointments are drawn, the name “Paga–Chiana” is mysteriously missing — erased as if by an invisible hand.
The people’s patience is thinning. The once-fiery loyalty now simmers with disillusionment. The “missus” is tired of being taken for granted. Fidelity, after all, is a two-way street; where there is no recognition, devotion eventually fades into resentment.
Let it be known, then, that Paga–Chiana is not an afterthought. It is not a decorative appendage of the NDC. It is the moral and electoral spine that has held the party firm through thick and thin. To continue ignoring it is to mock the very foundation upon which the party’s northern fortress was built.
The lamentation of Paga–Chiana must echo through the corridors of power: we have loved too much, and been loved too little.
Until justice is done in appointments, recognition, and development, the faithful missus will weep — not because she has stopped loving, but because love, unreciprocated, becomes sorrow.
A Cry from the Forgotten Bride of the NDC Heartland.
Sincerely yours
Akawiri Akunlenya
Abilateo
Gunwoko
Sirigu