You can count on me -Akufo-Addo assures nation

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, at the weekend observed that with the solid foundation laid by the NPP government under the able leadership of President Kufuor, the nation is now presented with bright prospects of moving into the realms of accelerated socio-economic development within the shortest period possible.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, even though the Kufuor administration inherited a comatose economy and a demoralised citizenry, it had managed to move the nation's development agenda to a higher pedestal as a result of intelligent and prudent management of the affairs of the nation.

He added that he was well-positioned to build on the enviable legacy of the Kufuor administration, and therefore urged the electorate to count on him and support him to win the December presidential election.

"The nation has achieved a lot under the able leadership of President Kufuor. What is left is building upon the solid foundation he has laid to ensure prosperity for our people; and I want you to count on me as the person who is poised to lead the nation to realise the fulfilment of that dream,' the Presidential Candidate stated.

Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing a rally at the University of Ghana in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region.

He had earlier in the day addressed a number of rallies in the Weija, Ablekuma Central and Okaikoi South constituencies where he was met by thousands of enthusiastic party supporters and sympathisers.

The Presidential Candidate told his audience that his entry into politics was not motivated by hunger, nor a desire to enrich himself, but to use his experience and knowledge to help push forward the development agenda of the nation.

On the up-coming elections, Nana Akufo-Addo urged the students not to allow themselves to be used by self-seeking and diabolical politicians to foment trouble before, during and after the elections.

'Our democratic dispensation has come of age. The whole world is watching with keen interest as we go to the polls in December. All of us have a role to play to ensure credible, peaceful and free and fair elections to justify the accolade conferred on our nation as the beacon of hope and democracy in Africa,' he stated.

While urging the electorate not to make the mistake of voting back the opposition NDC into the corridors of power, Nana Akufo-Addo exhorted the rank and file of the NPP to intensify their campaign to ensure a resounding victory, 'to help sustain the process of socio-economic transformation taking place in the country under the NPP administration.'

Alan Kyerematen, a leading member of the party's Campaign team, expressed the optimism that the NPP was set to make history by recording an electoral hat trick over the opposition NDC in the December elections.

'We are poised to win the elections because of the impressive record of our party in government. Never before in the history of this country have we witnessed such a quantum of development than under the NPP administration, and in fact, if the elections were to be competed on the basis of records in government, then it would be a no contest,' Mr. Kyerematen insisted.

According to Yaw Osafo-Maafo, another leading member of the team, the opposition NDC has no moral right to ask for the mandate of the people again 'because they abused the mandate when they were given the opportunity to rule the nation for close to 20 years.'

Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, a former Presidential Spokesperson and a member of the team, recalled some of the human rights abuses inflicted on innocent people in the era of the suppressive and brutal regime of the Rawlings-led (P)NDC regime, and cautioned the electorate to prevent the return of the NDC to power.

'We in the NPP are democrats by choice, but the NDC is made up of democrats by chance. These are people who jailed innocent people for no justifiable reasons, and chased student leaders out of the country. Now they are promising you jobs even though it was their regime that orchestrated a systematic agenda to collapse the businesses of many Ghanaians because they were perceived as enemies of the regime,' he underscored.

Nana Akufo-Addo rounded off the first phase of his first comprehensive campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region yesterday in the Abokobi-Madina constituency, where he addressed thousands of party supporters and sympathisers at a rally held at the Madina Zongo Junction. The event was preceded by a visit to the Dome Kwabenya constituency.

Others who addressed the rally included Mike Oquaye, MP for Dome Kwabenya, Vicky Bright, Minister of State at the Office of the President, Adjei Barwuah, Ghana's Ambassador to Japan, Nyaho Tamakloe, Ghana's Ambassador to Serbia, and Arthur Kobina Kennedy, Chairman of the Communications Committee of the party's Campaign team.