Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, is urging Ghanaians to defy all threats and intimidation, and come out in their numbers on December 7 to vote for the change they have been yearning for in the governance of the country.
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the upcoming election presents an opportunity for the country to extricate itself from the gross incompetence, unbridled corruption and naked looting of the national coffers that have been the key features of the current Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government.
"This election is very vital for the people of our country. It is to decide whether we stay in stagnation; whether we will okay the rot, impunity, lies, lawlessness under this Mahama-led NDC administration, or we say no, enough is enough of the mess, tribalism, stealing, unprecedented hardship, create, loot and share and cronyism,” the NPP leader stressed yesterday.
He was addressing a press conference in Kumasi, in place of what was supposed to be a regional rally, due to the ban on drumming and noise making in the Ashanti Region as a result of the death of the Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Ampem, a couple of weeks ago.
The NPP flagbearer said he felt a stronger desire for change among Ghanaians than ever before, adding that his campaign tours across the country had reaffirmed his belief that Ghanaians were eager to change the incompetent Mahama government on December 7.
“There is a very strong desire that we should change and chart a new direction. Ghanaians desire for change is very strong and that is what I see and sense, and that’s what I hope for,” Nana Addo stated.
He appealed to the electorate in the Ashanti Region to come out in their numbers and vote massively on December 7 for him and the NPP parliamentary candidates.
"I need the help of Asanteman. NPP needs the help of Asanteman in this year's elections. I appeal to all persons of voting age in Asanteman to come out in their numbers to vote for me and the party on 7 December. Your support is very crucial in getting the Elephant to Jubilee House. The NPP's policies will create jobs and stabilize the cedi and the economy,” Nana Addo stressed.
With regards to the various allegations hurled at him by his political opponents, especially the NDC, Nana Akufo-Addo said he had neither committed murder nor stolen in his entire life and, thus, would always ignore such allegations.
“Members of the NDC are saying a whole lot about me, but I will say only two things: I have never killed anybody in this world and never stolen anything from anybody. Apart from this, they can say whatever they want about me,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.
The NPP Presidential Candidate said Ghana deserved a government with competent people and ideas to transform the economy for the benefit of everyone irrespective of ethnicity or tribe.
“Let us all understand that we are Ghanaians. It is not where you come from that matters; it is the programmes and the values that you want to promote that matter. The language we are hearing today – the language of division – will not help the progress of the nation,” he said.
Referring to the president, Nana Akufo-Addo said: “If your achievements are unprecedented in Ghana, why are you moving into villages and towns distributing goodies? Why are you sharing sewing machines, monies, and other goodies to buy votes? We want a government with good programmes and policies, a government that can create jobs for the people and ensure prosperity for the people. Ghanaians are sitting on gold but are suffering because of bad leadership, but all these will change after the elections.”
Nana Akufo-Addo further maintained that despite the NDC government’s claim that it had invested in unprecedented infrastructure development, Ghanaians continued to crave for more projects.
According to him, throughout his campaign, Ghanaians keep asking for roads and school projects among others, an indication that the Mahama-led administration has little to show for the eight years it had controlled the nation’s resources.
He stated: “We’ve heard that in the last four years Ghana has seen unprecedented levels of infrastructural development; but everywhere we go, people are complaining about roads. There is nowhere that I’ve gone to in all the 275 constituencies in the ten regions that chiefs do not complain. They either complain about lack of schools or roads. Yet we are told they have undertaken unprecedented infrastructural development.”
Nana Addo added: “The infrastructural development that Ghana needs is not the one that is shown on TV, or captured in a supposed green book; we are talking about infrastructure which is visible, viable and working for the people, critical ones that will help open up this country.”