NPP Is Focused On Winning 2016 – Nana

Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanteng (left)

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has revealed that the internal wrangling among the leadership of the party would not stop the party from winning the 2016 general elections.

According to him, though the party is currently facing some challenges, supporters at the grassroots remained united and focused on winning the elections for the party.

Nana Addo, who was speaking on the 'Citi Breakfast Show' on Monday, stated that his rounds across the country during the ‘Rise and Build’ tour revealed that the challenges confronting the leadership of the party and the steering committee had not in anyway affected supporters at the grassroots level.

The objective of the 'Rise and Build' tour was to get the rank and file of the NPP, through the grassroots level, to come together to strategize for the 2016 campaign.

'The infighting and disunity are challenges but I see those challenges very much at the level of the national leadership - the steering committee and its members. Fortunately for our party, you don't see any impact of that on the ground. From what I saw, it appeared that a lot of people are determined to get on with the main task of winning minds and influencing the votes next year and hoping that we the leadership of the party will resolve whatever problems we have at that level. I'm very happy that I did the tour, and I did it for two reasons. It is obvious from how the NPP people braced it in the countryside and in the regions and constituencies that they needed something like this –  something that will reinvigorate the party and bring back the morale.

'Secondly, it gave us the opportunity to send messages to the Ghanaian populace,' Akufo-Addo said.

Corruption
Speaking on the issue of corruption which has become a matter of national concern, the leader of the NPP pledged to put in place measures that would give no room for corrupt practices if he was elected into power.

He said though it would be difficult to completely uproot corruption from society, Ghana needed to enforce the legal framework to deal with the canker.

'No society in the world has uprooted corruption; what they have tried to do is to minimize it and reduce its impact on the way that the national economies work. The goal would be to continue the path that was begun which is to create the legal framework that will impact on corruption. We must enforce the legal regime in dealing with corruption. We need an office of a special prosecutor independent of the Attorney General's Department,' Nana Addo added.

He disclosed that if corruption was dealt with properly, funding for free senior high school (SHS) should not be a problem.

Asset Declaration
Meanwhile, Nana Akufo-Addo has made known his intention to publicly declare his assets when voted into power.

He noted that public declaration of assets by public officials, as had been spearheaded by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, ensures accountability and transparency in the system to help tackle corruption.

'I'm going to declare my assets to give accountability in the system. It is important that those of us who are going to be involved hopefully in the next government, there is clear understanding amongst us of the need for us to make these important gestures so that the country can have confidence,' Nana Addo said.

He was in the studio with thrice defeated NPP presidential aspirant, Alan Kyerematen and Asamoah Boateng.

Alan Cash Declares Support
As a sign of a new dawn, Alan Kyerematen pledged his unflinching support for the party's standard bearer.

Alan Cash, as he is popularly known, noted that  he would do everything possible to ensure that Nana Akufo-Addo becomes President of Ghana on January 7, 2017.

He disclosed that the party encourages competition but once the competition ends, every member of the party rallies behind the  flagbearer to fight for victory in the elections.

'I have contested him (Akufo-Addo) three times and after every contest, we come together to work for the party and that is exactly what is required of every party member. We need to prove to the people that the party is united and ready to win the 2016 elections,' the former Trade and Industry Minister underscored.

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By Nii Ogbamey Tetteh