The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Joe Ghartey, has stepped up his campaign to become the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party for the 2016 Election.
In line with this, he has embarked on the final leg of his campaign across selected regions before the party’s special delegates conference scheduled for August 31, 2014.
Mr Ghartey, who is also the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, is contesting six other aspirants: Mr Alan Kyerematen, a former minister; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 2008 and 2012 presidential candidate of the party; Mr Francis Addai Nimoh, MP for Mampong; Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, a former minister; Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, a former minister; and Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw, MP for Asuogyaman.
The special delegates conference will whittle down the number of aspirants to five, who will then contest an election, whose date is yet to be decided, for the position of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2016 election.
At Central Region
Updating the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday on the progress of his campaign, the NPP presidential hopeful said he was in the Central Region last Friday to officially declare his intention to contest the presidential primary to the chiefs, as well as monitor the ongoing limited registration exercise being undertaken by the Electoral Commission.
Accompanied by the Regional Secretary of the party, Mr Kwamena Duncan, and some regional and constituency executive members of the party, Mr Ghartey visited Cape Coast South and Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK), among other places.
At the Cape Coast Castle and Amanful registration centres, he appealed to those who had attained the minimum voting age of 18 and other adults who did not have their names in the voters register to register.
Earlier, the Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimah Kwesi Atta II, described the former Attorney General “as a true son of the land who has done everything possible to maintain the image of the region throughout his political career.”
Mr Ghartey was at Osabarimah’s palace in Cape Coast to pay a courtesy call on him and his subjects.
Osabarimah Kwesi Atta commended the Second Deputy Speaker for not engaging in politics of insults, saying “we the chiefs in this region are always proud of you.”
The Paramount Chief prayed for divine guidance and advised all followers of presidential aspirants to campaign with civility and decorum.
Mr Ghartey donated five crates of minerals, five cartons of Guiness, five cartons of beer, a box of schnapps and an undisclosed sum to the traditional council to support the upcoming Oguaa Fetu Afehye Festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of the area.
Greater Accra Region
Last Thursday, Mr Ghartey was also in the Greater Accra Region, where he conferred with region executives and constituency chairmen of the party on the need for “change to win political power for the NPP.”
“We are not involved in this business because of our looks or the songs we sing; we have reached a stage because we want to win political power,” he told the gathering.
He said he was offering himself as a marketable presidential candidate who would win the Central, Western and Greater Accra regions for the party.
He said already, the NPP had been winning in the Ashanti and Eastern regions as had been the case in the 2008 and 2012 general elections.
He added that President J.A. Kufuor won six regions to become Ghana’s President and pointed out to the gathering that with the election of a marketable presidential candidate and a bit of hard work on the part of every member of the NPP, victory in 2016 was sure.
On why seven aspirants were seeking to lead the NPP in the 2016 polls, Mr Ghartey explained, “We [the NPP] have always believed in development in freedom. We have also always believed in democracy. If we are afraid of elections, then we have lost our core principles.”
He assured all party members that he would conduct his campaign on issues and play up party unity as critical to winning the 2016 polls.
