NPP won moral victory in election petition — Bawumia
The Running mate to the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 elections, Dr Muhamadu Bawumia, has stated that although the party lost its petition at the Supreme Court on August 29, it won a moral victory.
Advertisement
He, therefore, called on the rank and file of the NPP not to be down-hearted since the party was stronger than before to win the 2016 polls.
Dr Bawumia made the statement when he addressed the party’s Eastern regional and constituency executives in Koforidua on Thursday, September 19, 2013.
Dr Bawumia and other high-ranking executive members of the party were in the Eastern Regional capital to express their appreciation to the executives for the role they played during the elections.
Some of the executive members were Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, National Chairman; Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (popularly called Sir John), the General Secretary and some former ministers in the Kufuor regime such as Messrs Hackman Owusu Agyeman and Yaw Osafo Maafo.
A number of NPP legislators, such as Mr J. B. Danquah-Adu (Abuakwa North), were also present.
According to Dr Bawumia, as soon as the Electoral Commissioner, Dr Afari Djan, announced the results of the 2012 elections on December 9, the NPP realised that the figures which favoured the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were wrong but instead of seeking redress with street demonstrations, it rather went to the Supreme Court.
He said the NPP within a limited period was able to gather 24,000 pink sheets, which were made available to the Supreme Court, to buttress its case.
The Supreme Court, he stated, unfortunately ruled against the NPP but what happened on August 29 was a moral victory for the party, judging by the overwhelming evidence the party presented at the court.
“At least there should have been a re-run of the elections, which was not the case, and judging by the overwhelming evidence we provided in court, what happened on August 29 was a moral victory for the NPP,” Dr Bawumia stated.
He said the NPP after the Supreme Court judgement had become stronger than before and asked the rank and file of the party to go the extra mile and be vigilant at the 2016 polls to become victorious.
Dr Bawumia on behalf of the Flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, expressed appreciation to the party’s executives in the region for working so hard to maintain NPP supremacy in the area.
The National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey, debunked the assertion that the party was at all cost vying for power, adding that if it was so then it would have organised street protests to achieve that aim rather than going to the Supreme Court.
He stated that after the Supreme Court had given its verdict, which did not favour the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo congratulated President John Dramani Mahama, which exhibited NPP’s true colours and that of Nana Akufo-Addo as a non-violent political organisation and politician, respectively.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey described the NDC as a party without focus, as it had plunged the nation into economic nightmare, and said the NPP was now well prepared to win the 2016 elections and resuscitate the economy to end the hardship the people were currently going through.
“Despite revenue from oil, the National Health Insurance Scheme is collapsing, as well as other social interventions such as the School Feeding Programme, and the NPP is now well focused to win the 2016 elections to improve the lot of the people,” Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey stated.
He also appealed to the rank and file of the NPP to ensure that the party won the confidence of the people and desist from throwing mud against one another, especially at the time that the party would be organising elections to elect its executives and parliamentary candidates.
Every true executive or member of the NPP, Mr Obetsebi Lamptey stated, should also refrain from going to the press to deal with grievances and rather use the party’s internal mechanism.
For their part, Messrs Hackman Owusu Agyeman and Yaw Osafo Maafo dwelt on discipline, which to them would catapult the NPP to victory in 2016.
By A. Kofoya-Tetteh/Daily Graphic/Ghana
