Honour Dr Busia with victory for NPP in 2016 — Akufo-Addo
The 2016 flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called on party supporters from the Brong Ahafo Region to honour the memory of former Prime Minister, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, with a victory in the 2016 election.
In his view, “a decisive majority in the popular vote, as well as securing the majority of parliamentary seats for the NPP in this swing region, will be a testament to the man whose vision and actions as Prime Minister of Ghana had, to a large extent, shaped Ghana’s development and deepened her democratic credentials.”
Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing party faithful in Sunyani on day one of his two-day tour of the Brong Ahafo Region. It forms part of his “Rise and build tour,” which he began a month ago..
The party faithful included regional and constituency executives, as well as parliamentary candidates and their competitors from 15 constituencies of the region. The constituencies are Sunyani East, Sunyani West, Tano North, Tano South, Berekum East, Berekum West, Jaman North, Jaman South, Dormaa East, Dormaa West, Dormaa Central, Asutifi North, Asutifi South, Asunafo North and Asunafo South.
Honour Busia
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, “the victory of 2016 is going to honour Dr Busia and the vision that he had for Ghana. Ghana free, Ghana prosperous, Ghana progressive. That was Busia’s vision. That is the vision that I, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, am fighting for.”
He declared, “We should be a majority party in Busia’s home region,” and stressed that “the policies and programmes to bring prosperity to Ghana all lies with the NPP and with us being in government.”
The NPP flag bearer called on the people of the Brong Ahafo Region to have faith in him, and stressed that “I am not in politics to enrich myself. They should have trust in me, have faith that I am coming to do a job for Ghana. We have the men and women to give this country a first class government. They should give me the opportunity to fix Ghana for all of us.”
Nana Akufo Addo said the NPP was coming to rebuild the country and to revive all the social interventions the Kufuor administration brought into the governance.
Encouragement
On the prospects of an NPP victory in 2016, the NPP flag bearer stated that the presence of party ‘big wigs’, as well as his competitors in the October 2014 presidential primary, who had accompanied him across the country on his “Rise and Build Tour”, was a sign of good prospects.
“Perhaps, God is working out something good for me and the NPP in 2016. I believe it is God’s plan at work, considering all the people who are here with me this afternoon. Francis Addai Nimo, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and Joe Ghartey are all here with me. Best of all, my arch-rival, Alan Kyerematen, is also here with me. This is a good sign,” he said to a massive roar of approval from the packed auditorium at the Sunyani Polytechnic.
He continued, “I am asking all parliamentary candidates and aspirants to emulate what you are seeing here. Bring all your competitors on board and work hard towards ensuring that we win the majority of seats in the 2016 election.”
Others who accompnied Nana Akufo-Addo were NPP National Organiser, John Boadu; NPP National Women’s Organiser, Otiko Afisa Djaba; NPP Deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen; Political Assistant, Francis Asenso-Boakye; Press Secretary, Eugene Arhin; Campaign Aides, Iddrisu Musah ‘Superior’ and Pius Hadzide, together with regional stalwarts such as Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh, Brong Ahafo Regional NPP Chairman; Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, a former Minister of Local Government and former MP for Sunyani West; Ignatius Baffuor Awuah, former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister and MP for Sunyani West; Prof. Gyan Baffuor, a former Deputy Minister of Finance under President Kufuor and MP for Wenchi; and Kwadwo Yeboah Fordjour, a former Brong Ahafo NPP Regional Chairman.
Open door policy
The NPP flag bearer also urged party faithful to operate an “open door policy” so as to improve the party’s relations with the settler communities.
“We must have a clean language with the settlers in Brong Ahafo. A language of solidarity, togetherness, fraternity, oneness and co-operation. This is the language we have to use for us to win their support,” he said.
He continued, “I am not coming for the Brongs, Ahafos, Asantes or Akyems. No! I am coming for all Ghanaians. Whether you are Kusassi, Dagari, Kotokoli, Kwahu, Ahanta or Fante, I’m coming to do a job for all Ghanaians so we all prosper together. We have no tribal agenda in the NPP. We only have a Ghanaian agenda.”
