The 2012 Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is currently touring the northern part of Ghana as part of his campiagn to lead the party in the run-up to the 2016 general election.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who launched his campaign at Odododiodio, in Accra recently, is touring the three regions of the northern Ghana, that started with the Upper East Region on Tuesday.
He then moved to Tamale in the Northern Region to continue his interaction with party supporters last Thursday.
Throughout his campaign tour, the presidential hopeful is appealing to the party’s delegates to give him another opportunity to lead the NPP into the 2016 general election as the party’s flag bearer by voting massively for him in the forthcoming presidential primary.
Northern Region
From Tamale in the Northern Region, Zakaria Alhassan reports that, addressing party delegates last Thursday, Nana Akufo-Addo stated, “My mission here is to solicit for your support to lead this great party. Please, please, elect me and I believe that this time round, and with the support of the Almighty God, victory will be ours in 2016.”
He debunked the assertion that at 72 years, he would be too old to campaign in 2016 and assured the delegates that, “I feel strong in my body to carry on and deliver this country from its current difficulties and mismanagement.”
Nana Akufo-Addo made references to the performance of President Alassane Outarra of Cote d’Ivoire who he said was now 72 years but “is doing far better than our so-called young man in Ghana”.
Present at the meeting were regional executives, founder members, elders and the rank and file of the party, including constituency chairmen who openly declared their support for the former foreign minister.
Nana Akufo-Addo was in the company of his running mate in the 2012 elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to market himself to party delegates and supporters ahead of the October 18, 2014 presidential primary.
He is contesting six other aspirants for the flag bearer slot, which he hopes to hold for the third time, after two unsuccessful attempts in 2008 and 2012.
Electoral Commission
Nana Akufo-Addo described the present voters register as not credible and, therefore, called for an independent forensic audit of the existing biometric voters register.
"I am told the entire process, from the opening of competitive international bids to the completion of the forensic biometric audit, could take up to a couple of months. This first step can be taken before the next District Assembly Election,” he stated.
Nana Akufo-Addo observed that when such an exercise was successfully carried out, it would send strong signals to the people that the Electoral Commission (EC) was sincere and serious on electoral reforms.
“Let the audit of the current register serve as a key step to restoring public confidence in our electoral system. It is an important decision that we have to take to consolidate our democracy," he said.
Touching on last Wednesday's ruling by the Supreme Court prohibiting the EC from using the National Health Insurance cards for the voters registration exercise, he commended the plaintiffs, Messers Abu Ramadan, Evans Nimako and Kwasi Danso Acheampong, for their patriotism.
Nana Akufo-Addo also commended the Supreme Court, under the leadership of the Chief Justice, for their decision.
Upper East
Vincent Amenuveve,reports from Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region that Nana Akufo-Addo has asked party supporters in the region to give him another chance by voting for him massively to lead the party in the run-up to the 2016 general election.
He was confident that if he was given the nod to be flagbearer in the 2016 election, he would eventually take Ghana out of its economic doldrums and transform the socio-economic lives of the people .
Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing party executive members and teeming supporters of the party at Bolgatanga last Wednesday as part of his nationwide tour to campaign for the flag-bearer position of his party.
He expressed gratitude to party sympathisers in the region for supporting him in 2007 and in 2010.
"I am pleading with you to give me another chance; because I want to contribute to the meaningful development of the country, particularly the three northern regions," he noted.
Nana Akufo-Addo expressed optimism that the "election battle this time round can be won if all the loopholes are plugged."
He further accused the Mahama-led administration of collapsing the economy,leading to high depreciation of the cedi and rising cost of living.
"The business of managing this country requires competent people and I can assure you the NPP has the men to do that if only Ghanaians would give them a chance," he pointed out.
He further thanked the delegates for the warm reception accorded him and hoped they would translate that into votes at the party and national levels.
For his part, Dr Bawumia noted that there was "trouble in the country because of bad management by the ruling National Democratic Congress”.
He observed that the 2016 elections were very serious and that delegates and Ghanaians should avoid experimenting with the flagbearership and who led the country after the 2016 elections.
"There is no popular and marketable person than Nana Akufo-Addo; he has been tried and tested and so we do not have to take chances at all," he further stated.
The occasion was used to introduce 15 constituency chairmen of the party to Nana Akufo-Addo and his entourage.
They all declared their unflinching support for Nana Akufo-Addo and promised to help him win more votes in future polls
