Money Can’t Influence Delegates — Osafo-Maafo

A leading presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has asserted that the delegates attending tomorrow's congress of the party will not be influenced by money.

He said the delegates would maintain the character of the party by voting for a candidate who had a mass appeal beyond the NPP, who could push for a national accelerated growth and win power for the party in Election 2008.

Giving a run-down of his campaign tour of the country in an exclusive telephone interview, Mr Osafo-Maafo said, “I have an appeal beyond the NPP. My proven track record is a clear manifestation and I am a symbol of unity. On Saturday, I will win the election.”

Mr Osafo-Maafo, who was a Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, and of Finance and Economic Planning, was in Wa as part of his final campaign tour.

According to the presidential aspirant, he had already visited eight out of the 10 regions, meeting actual delegates, adding that the signs were very good and positive.

He gave the assurance that the NPP was not a party for sale to the highest bidder. Otherwise referred to as “Oyeadieyie”, Mr Osafo-Maafo stressed the need for a paradigm shift in Ghana's economy for the country to become the service centre for the West African sub-region.

He explained that Ghana should become the centre for financial, information technology and higher educational services in the sub-region, explaining that that called for a knowledge-based economy whereby Ghana could take advantage of its stable political and economic environment to be the fulcrum to provide the needed services for the region.

He pointed out that Ghana's positive attributes had attracted a lot of banks to do business in the country.
Additionally, he said, Ghana had a corps of trained human resource personnel in and out of the country which should move the country away from poverty, stressing that it should not be dependent on timber and gold alone.

Regarding the congress, Mr Osafo-Maafo said the delegates were going to vote with some objectives in mind.
“They will vote with the main 2008 election in mind and to keep the party united. They will not vote for a candidate who will see the party cracking,” he confidently stated.

Story by Kobby Asmah