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Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, a flagbearer candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has pleaded with the 961 super delegates of the party to have faith in him by voting overwhelmingly for him to be among the five candidates chosen for the November 4 showdown.
Dr. Akoto stated that the party’s kingmakers should now show him some love after having contributed so much to the party’s advancement in his speech to the super delegates prior to voting on August 26, 2023.
He reminded them of his goals for the party and the nation and said he had the resources to continue the UP tradition and assure its expansion so that the misery of its members will no longer exist.
The former two-term MP for Kwadaso asserts that among the ten candidates vying for the party’s flagbearer position, his vision of establishing for-profit businesses to generate income to finance party activities at all levels while creating employment opportunities for the unemployed stands out as being viable and attainable.
“I am appealing to you, the super delegates, to vote for me. When you vote for me, I have envisioned two things to do; one for the party and the other for the country. All of us are aware of what happened in the 2016 general elections. In the Presidential, our then candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo beat the then incumbent President John Mahama with over 900,000 votes. But when we went to the 2020 general elections when everyone was expecting a wider margin between these two presidential candidates, the over 900,000 votes was cut down to a little over 500,000. We nearly lost the parliamentary majority seats. We are now pegged at 137 with the Independent Parliamentary candidate, Amoako Asiamah, declaring to do business with the NPP for us to become the Majority Group”, Dr Akoto said.
“These happenings tell us that all was not well largely because our grassroots were abandoned. When you talk to them, almost everyone is complaining. This makes breaking the eight-year governance cycle very difficult, hence, my decision to contest for the flagbearer position to turn things around. So, I am appealing to you once again to show me some love and vote massively for me. I will ensure to work hard to reform the party for all to enjoy”, he stated.
When he is chosen to lead the NPP and afterwards as President of the Republic of Ghana, he claimed both women and young people will play important roles in his government.
There is a total of 10 candidates running for the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s flagbearer position.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, a former minister of food and agriculture, Mr. Boakye Agyarko, a former minister of energy, Mr. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, a former NPP general secretary and presidential spokesperson, Mr. Francis Addai-Nimoh, and Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, a former minister of trade and industry.
The other members are Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President; Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Former Minister of Trade and Industry; Mr. Joe Ghartey, Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General; Mr. Kwadwo Opoku, Energy Expert; and Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central.
On August 26, 2023, a Special Delegates Congress will be held to choose five of the presidential candidates.
On November 4, 2023, the top five candidates will then compete for the position of flagbearer, electing one to represent their party in the general election of 2024.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
