NPP Showcases Strength In Ashanti

The Jubilee Park in Kumasi was too small to contain thousands of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters who thronged there on Sunday to witness the party's Ashanti Regional rally, which will pass as one of the biggest rallies ever organised in the history of Ghana.

Children, the youth and the aged, some of whom carried walking sticks, covered every inch of space on the rally grounds and the spillover of the crowd onto nearby streets, which stretched more than 100 meters, was equally unimaginable.

Just around 4 p.m. when news broke that the NPP flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and President J.A. Kufuor, were on their way to the rally grounds, the main entrance of the Jubilee Park got choked, and when the convoy eventually emerged, this reporter was caught up in a near stampede at the gates as the enthusiastic crowd jostled to cheer on the man they expected to walk into the Golden Jubilee House on January 7, 2009.

A small boy of about six years was heard screaming in the melee and had to be rescued from an imminent suffocation and lifted unto the shoulders of a young man to catch a breath and glimpse of Nana Akufo-Addo, the reason of whose presence he might not even know.

Much as the crowd was very huge, it was not surprising for a region many political observers consider as the “World Bank” of the NPP and, for that matter, the least worries of the party in Election 2008.

Last Sunday's rally was only a dress rehearsal of the wild celebration of an anticipated NPP election victory in the December 7 elections.

With 39 constituencies, the Ashanti Region has the largest number of parliamentary seats in the country, out of which the NPP has 36, while the NDC holds the remaining three seats —  Asawase, Ejura-Sekyedumase and New Edubiase.

In the 2004 presidential elections, the region recorded the highest voter turnout of 88.71 per cent of the valid votes cast, indicating that the electorate in the region are politically active.

Nana Akufo-Addo expressed gratitude to President Kufuor for his stewardship to the nation, particularly by laying a solid foundation for him (Akufo-Addo) to continue.

He spoke about his vision for the nation, including industrialisation, free senior high school education, modernised agriculture and the prudent use of revenue accruing from the oil find to enhance the development of the country.

Nana Akufo-Addo said the NDC had failed to deliver when it assumed office and, therefore, asked the electorate to disregard the call for a change by the NDC, because it had nothing to offer the nation.

He said he was not in politics to acquire wealth, but to offer his God-given talent to help promote the country's development.

President Kufuor said although his administration inherited nothing from the national kitty, it had been able to put the economy on a sound footing.

“Our toils will never be in vain, because we have a capable person in Nana Akufo-Addo to continue the work Kufuor has begun,” he remarked.

President Kufuor said this year's elections were about the future of the youth, which would be led by Nana Akufo-Addo, and, therefore, advised the youth to prepare themselves to take advantage of the opportunity that lay ahead.

He urged the people to go out in their numbers to vote on Sunday without any fear of intimidation, warning that the security agencies were prepared on the ground to deal drastically with any person who attempted to foment political unrest.

President Kufuor said the victory of the NPP would be celebrated over a one-month period from December 8, 2008 (his birthday) to January 7, 2009, when he would hand-over to Nana Akufo-Addo, and that remark sent the crowd in wild jubilation.

Adding his voice to the President's assurance, the Minister of Defence, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, said the police and the military had been put on high alert to deal with any violent situation.

 
Story by Kofi Yeboah, Kumasi