Parliament took right decision on December 7 polls date - Odike
The Presidential Candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Mr Kwasi Addai Odike, has described the decision taken by Parliament to maintain the December 7 election date as a step in the right direction.
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“Looking at the time left and the Electoral Commission’s preparations, we cannot bring the election date a month earlier to November 7,” he argued.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Odike was of the view that the EC’s preparednesss towards the November 7 polls was doubtful.
“I think maintaining the December 7 date will afford the commission and all stake holders enough time to prepare for the crucial polls,” he stated.
According to the UPP presidential candidate, though the November 7 date was a good decision, it could not be used for the upcoming elections and so must be seriously considered for the 2020 polls.
“ We can put all legislative instruments in place and use it for 2020,” he averred.
UPP getting ready
He disclosed that the UPP would launch its 2016 manifesto and kick off campaign in Kumasi today.
He said that the party’s manifesto, which is on the theme “Era of business for jobs and wealth creation,” focuses on job creation, value addition and industrialisation.
He said the UPP had already endorsed 100 candidates for the 2016 parliamentary elections.
He said the key strategy of the UPP in this year’s elections was to embark on door-to-door campaign with a clarion message to “green Ghana with cocoa tress.”
Under the “Urban Cocoa Plantation Programme” of the party, Mr Odike said he was confident it would transform the economy and bring liberty and prosperity to all Ghanaians.
“Our aim is to increase cocoa production from the current 600,000 metric tonnes to 1,000,000 metric tonnes. By this and other value additions, more jobs will be created,” he assured.
Advice
He, therefore, urged the Ghanaian electorate to vote the UPP in 2016, saying the NDC and the NPP had done their best, sharing governance between themselves since the Fourth Republican dispensation but their best was simply not enough.