“My quarrel with President Mahama is not
because he is a northerner. I don’t care where anybody comes from. My quarrel
with him is that he is a poor leader of a country that has great opportunity and
potential. We have a poor leader in John Dramani Mahama, and that is why I am
agitating for change”.These were the words of the 2016 presidential
candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday,
November 21, 2016, whilst addressing the NPP’s Upper East Regional rally at
Bolgatanga.
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, all of his adult life has been
spent fighting for the progress of the Ghanaian people, without recourse to
ethnicity, colour or tribe.
“I fought Acheampong’s Union Government.
Acheampong was an Ashanti, but it didn’t make any difference to me. I thought
the Union Government was a bad idea and I opposed it.
I opposed PNDC
under the Rawlings, who is Ewe, because I thought military government is not
good for Ghana. I am tribal blind, I am colour blind. It is Ghana which is my
interest. I don’t mind where anybody comes from,” he added.
On the
choice of Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate, Akufo-Addo stressed
that, “he (Dr. Bawumia) is not my running mate not just because he’s from the
North.
He is my running mate because he’s one of the most brilliant
economists that our country has got, and he’s going to help me put the economy
of our country on the path of progress and prosperity, and ensure the wellbeing
of our people.”
Nana Akufo-Addo was, therefore, surprised that with the
wind of change blowing all over our country, President Mahama, instead of
defending his record in office and telling the people what he will do for them,
is rather resorting to the use of tribal and divisive language.
“Instead
of being a figure to bring all of us together, he wants to set North against
South, he wants to set tribe against tribe. That should not be the task of a
Ghanaian leader.
A Ghanaian leader should try and bring all the people
of Ghana together as one, whether they are Mamprusis, Dagombas, Gonjas, Frafras,
Kusasis, Grushis, Walas, Dagartis, Ashantis, Akuapems, Akyems, Kwahus, Fantes,
Ahantas, Nzemas, Ewes or Gas. We are all one people, and our leaders should
ensure that the coherence amongst us is maintained,” he added
The NPP
flagbearer, thus, urged all Ghanaians to “turn our backs on tribal language, and
turn our backs on the politics of reaction and the politics of yesterday. Let us
look forward, look forward to that bright future, which is our lot as Ghanaians,
and fulfil our destiny as the Black Star of Africa.”
An Akufo-Addo
government, he assured Ghanaians will help “create a civilization that is going
to be the light of Africa, and the wonder of the world. That is the future ahead
of us, and not a future of
tribalism.”
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