Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, flag bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party has openly admitted that one of the factors that denied him the title “His Excellency President Nana Akufo” after the 2008 elections was the poor manner in which the party’s Parliamentary primaries were conducted.
He said he could no longer afford to miss that chance in 2012 hence the need for the upcoming Parliamentary primaries to be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.
Nana Addo was addressing northern region Parliamentary Aspirants and constituency executives in Tamale as part of a three-day campaign tour of the northern and Upper East Regions.
He repeatedly stated that his has no favorite among the aspirants and assured all of them of his unflinching support but cautioned them against using his name to win votes which he said could create more division in the NPP.
Nana Addo recounted the bitter experience he encountered during his Parliamentary ambition era and advised the aspirants to do their home work well before paying the required sum of GH 6000 cedis as filing fee for orphan constituencies.
The NPP flagbearer made a passionate appeal to party leadership at all levels to be neutral in the exercise of the forthcoming Parliamentary primaries.
Nana Addo called on the aspirants and all party supporters to use decent language on their campaign platforms to maximize the party’s votes in 2012.
He said the competition for the flagbearership race was over for which reason factionalism should be discarded among party members for total victory in 2012.
Nana Akufo announced his campaign team’s decision to establish the party’s advisory council which will be headed by former President John Agyekum Kufour with the support of former Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama and others.
The NPP flagbearer reminded all party supporters of their responsibility to be bold and courageous before, during and after the 2012 elections.
He said there were glaring indications that the NDC will implore what he described as “Azaa tactics” to rig the 2012 elections and said that necessitated his infamous “All die be die” comment which he has no regret repeating.
The General Secretary of the NPP, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyyie, popularly known as Sir John, promised party executives that enough resources will be made available for effective campaigning but warned that acts of diversion will not be tolerated.
Nana Addo later at the Zogbeli Block “A” school park in Tamale graced the official inaugural ceremony of an offshoot of the regional women’s wing of the NPP called the Danquah Ladies.
National Chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey, Sheikh Tahidu Braimah Damba, Mr. Boakye Agyarko, Otiku Afisa Djaba, Muktar Bamba and Anthony Abayifa Karbo were among NPP national executives who accompanied Nana Akufo-Addo.