SACRIFICE FOR VICTORY IN 2012 — AKUFO-ADDO (PAGE 13, JUNE 23, 2010)

THE Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 general elections, Nana Akufo Addo, has stated that unity and strong party organisation are key if the New Patriotic Party is to win the 2012 general elections.
He has, therefore, called on members of the party to be prepared to sacrifice and work for victory for the NPP in election 2012 .
“The party and I would do everything possible to support you with all the resources and energy for your campaign,” he stated and explained that one of the reasons why much power had been vested in the hands of members at the grass roots by enlarging the electoral college of the party was to ensure that the NPP remained stronger at that level.
Nana Akufo Addo, who was addressing polling station executives and supporters of the party at Wa during a campaign tour of the Upper West region, advised delegates to use the power given them wisely to select the flagbearer which all Ghanaians are yearning for.
He was accompanied on the tour by his National Campaign Director, Mr Boakye Agyarko, the Members of Parliament for Lawra-Nandom, Takoradi and Bimbila, Mr Ambrose Dery, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko and Mr Dominic Nitiwul respectively.
Other members of the entourage were a former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr Clement Eledi, Ghana’s former Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Mr Sahanoon Mogtari, as well as regional and constituency executives of the party.
Nana Akufo Addo, who is among five other candidates vying for the position of flagbearership of the NPP, advised members of the party to be careful and vigilant of the NDC to ensure a clean congress come August 7, 2010.
“The NPP does not do declarations, neither has the NPP a founder, we are all owners of the party and so it is our tradition as a family to vote people into power,” Nana Akufo Addo reiterated and added that it is also our duty to support the chosen candidate after the congress.
He attributed the defeat of the NPP in the last general elections to the divisions among the rank and file of the party and said the election of the flag bearer for the party must continue to be an internal affair.
He called for reconciliation and a sense of belongingness among members of the party adding that “we are seeking power because we want to serve the people of this country.”
Commenting on the campaign promises of the NDC during the 2008 elections, Nana Akufo Addo asked if the “Better Ghana” promised had even reached the Wa Central Constituency.
He expressed regret that almost two years after assuming the reigns of government, the NDC had not been able to fulfil any of its campaign promises and said all over the country, the people were yearning for the NPP to come back.
On the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), the aspiring NPP flagbearer said even though the NDC bought the idea from the NPP’s Northern Development Programme, it was still struggling to implement it pointing out that “the time has come for action not words.”
Nana Akufo Addo said one of the ways to ensure sustainable peace and justice in the country was to bridge the gap between the north and the south which, according to him, was paramount on the agenda of the NPP.
He further urged the people to work assiduously to ensure that the NPP won the Wa central Constituency seat from the NDC during the 2012 general elections.
A member of Nana Akufo Addo’s campaign team and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbila, Mr. Dominic Nitiwul, described the 2012 general elections as a “bumper to bumper” election which required that the NPP put forward a tough presidential candidate in the personality of Nana Akufo Addo.
He said Nana Akufo Addo had suffered for the party, more so he was competent and intelligent and had a track record of leading the party to greater heights.
Mr. Nitiwul, therefore, called on delegates from northern Ghana to ensure that Nana Akufo Addo got not less that 70 per cent of votes cast in all the constituencies during August 7, 2010 NPP elections.