Flagbearer OF the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has explained his controversial ‘all die be die!’ comment to party faithful at the WAEC Hall in Tema over the weekend when, he together with some national executives of the party, addressed members from 12 constituencies in the Greater Accra Region, as part of a regional tour.
Nana Addo explained that his comment was meant to urge party faithful to be courageous in the face of intimidation in subsequent elections. He served yet another strong notice to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the NPP would never sit down for any party to cheat them in the 2012 general elections.
Nana Akufo-Addo had on Friday met another group of NPP members and aspiring parliamentarians at the Trade Fair Centre at La in Accra where he gave the same message, asking them to be courageous and defend the party to the hilt.
He noted that his comment, which had generated a lot of controversy, should not be misunderstood, adding that he had spent his life fighting for freedom and democracy in this country and could have plunged the country into chaos during the 2008 general elections if he had declined to accept the results of the election.
He stated that his comment could not be described as irresponsible and violent because he had not asked any member of the NPP to be violent against any Ghanaian; and quickly added that all that he as the flagbearer of the party did was to urge party faithful to be courageous and do all they could to ensure that the elections were held in a free, fair and transparent manner.
“We are not going to be cheated by force and violence if indeed the Ghanaian people want us back and that is why our cry today is ‘all die be die!’” he told the party faithful who themselves chanted the ‘all die be die’ chorus. “When we are met with violence, what are we supposed to do, take it and turn the other cheek? Is that what we should do?
We are going to defend ourselves, we are going to defend ourselves, we are going to defend democracy in our country, we are going to defend the ballot box in our country.
We in this party are not and will never be aggressors in any political competition,” the NPP flagbearer remarked. “I am saying that those who think that the way to power and to success in the election of 2012 is by violence and intimidation let them think again. That is why I say at the end of the day, ‘all die be die!’… ‘All die be die!’”, he said, attracting chants and approval from the gathering.
He noted, “We in the NPP have been fighting all our lives for democracy in Ghana and for the ballot box to be the instrument for making government…
We believe in free, fair and peaceful and transparent elections but we are not going to be cheated by force or by violence if indeed the people of Ghana want us and that is why our cry today is ‘all die be die’”.
He mentioned hard work, the need to be courageous and smart as three essential ingredients that would be needed to win the 2012 contest, saying, “We can take nothing for granted… every stone that has to be turned let us turn it… Let us not leave any stone unturned. “We are dealing with an opponent that has all kinds of politics and we on our part we need also to be smart in the way we move… we need to be courageous to prosecute the battle.
We know from the examples of Atiwa, Chereponi to Akwatia that our opponents do not believe in peaceful, free and fair elections… they believe in elections where there is a lot of ‘bugabuga’, thugs, cutlasses, knives, bullets, violence. That is the opponent that we have to face,” he emphasized.
Nana Akufo-Addo said NPP sympathizers should not forget that the forefathers of the party were courageous and prepared to put their lives on the line to bring democracy to the country. “It is our turn to defend freedom and democracy in Ghana. We want our opponents to know that we are ready for the task of defending democracy in Ghana.”
He assured all NPP members that should they work hard to secure victory for the party in 2012, he would reward each and every one. He told the crowd that everywhere he went, there were cries for change, for the NPP to come back to power; an indication that all was not well in the country, with the NDC at the helm of affairs, urging them to be united to ensure victory in the next election.
Nana Addo said the NPP would have to win convincingly in the next general elections and quickly reminded them that the parliamentary elections would be a determinant as to who rules Ghana.
He mentioned that the NPP must ensure that they maximize their votes in areas they did not do well the last time, adding that it was equally important that they went to the general elections with a united front. Nana Addo pointed out that the NDC had intimidated NPP members in areas like Atiwa, Chereponi, Akwatia and Agbogbloshie among others and urged party faithful to resist such acts from their opponents in the 2012 general elections.
Delegates came from Ledzokuku, Krowor, Tema East, Tema West, Kpone Katamanso and Ashaiman. The rest were Ningo-Prampram, Sege, Ada, Shai-Osudoku, Abokobi Madina and Adenta.
Nana Addo was accompanied by both national and regional executives of the party.