By Stephen Odoi-Larbi
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor is fascinated by the successes of the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, ever since he joined the Danquah, Dombo and Busia tradition, and has described him as a “chip off the old block.”
He said Nana Addo’s support for the party, from the good old days to the present, had contributed greatly in building a better party that is poised to take over the reins of the country from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), and is convinced that when he is voted into power, he would deliver to perfection.
“From the days of Busia, J.B. Danquah, William Ofori-Atta, Obetsebi-Lamptey, Dombo, Akufo-Addo, Prof. Adu-Boahen and J. A. Kufuor, Nana Addo was there. He was part of the building of NPP, and I have no doubt that when given the chance, he would deliver to perfection.
He will manage the economy effectively, and lift it from a third world country to a middle income country,” Mr. Kufuor extolled Nana Addo, who once contested him for the flagbearership of the party.
The former President was addressing party supporters who thronged the Mantse Agbona Park in James Town, Accra, to witness the unveiling ceremony of the party’s parliamentary candidates, for the upcoming elections, in an event dubbed “Gargantuan Rally.”
He told the teeming supporters that the Mills-led administration had no solution to the problems confronting the country, and that voting for Nana Addo was the best alternative.
He said the ruling NDC makes waste of quality time, afflicting Ghanaians with immature talks and accusations, instead of listening to common advice on how to solve woes inflicted on the economy.
He pleaded with Ghanaians to vote massively for Nana Addo in the 2012 general elections, to end the misery they were going through. The campaign manager of the NPP, Boakye Agyarko, on his part, gave an overview of the things Nana Addo and his campaign team witnessed during his nationwide listening tour.
“All the things that we witnessed during our listening tour in the rural communities leave much to be desired. In fact, it was an eye-sore to see many Ghanaians jobless and sitting idle, with some playing draughts to console their soul.
“Many children were seen in the house because of lack of funds to pay their school fees. This is unacceptable,” he noted in a deep voice to the rousing applause of the crowd. He could not fathom why the NDC had subjected Ghanaians to an undignified living, having left so much for them to take care of the country in 2009.
Social intervention programmes like the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, and the Metro Mass Transport, meant to address the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian, he noted, were all on the brink of collapse.
He pleaded with Ghanaians to vote the NPP into power come December 2012, since “a vote for the NPP and Nana Addo is going to bring massive change.”
