Anane calls for NPP unity as he is pressured to contest flag-bearer
A former Health Minister under the Kufuor administration, Dr Richard Anane, has confirmed that he is being inundated with calls from supporters within the NPP to run for President in 2016 elections.
Advertisement
He, however , told the Daily Graphic yesterday that he believed there was a need for re-organisation and re-branding of the NPP to meet the voting dynamics of the Ghanaian population.
Speaking from a conference in Uganda, he said though the call for him to become the flag bearer of NPP for 2016 elections was a national duty, the unity of the party was paramount.
He told the Daily Graphic that the party must first concentrate on working as a team and re-brand to be attractive to the broad spectrum of the Ghanaian voters.
He recalled that after two losses in the 2008 and 2012 elections, the party’s support base seemed to be dwindling.
He asked: “What can you do as a flag bearer for a party without an effective organisational machinery?.”
Even though Dr Anane would not rule out the possibility of contesting for the flag-bearer slot, he insisted on unity, party organisation, and re-branding.
He declared, “whatever area I have to serve in the party I will do it.”
“Our leaders must also show humility in all endeavours so as to appeal to the broad masses.
“These are the only ingredients that can help the party to win political power in 2016.”
Dr Anane has been a member of the UP tradition since 1979 when he was a student, and has worked with various groups within the party.
It will be recalled that a number of executive members of the NPP have already declared their support for the 2012 Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is on a political time-out. The executive members are calling on the leadership of the party to allow Nana Akufo Addo to lead the party for a third time, ahead of the 2016 elections.
By Abdul Aziz/Daily Graphic/Ghana