No Match For Nana. Says Kufuor

PRESIDENT JOHN Agyekum Kufuor has described Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a very well groomed politician whose pedigree is unmatchable by the other presidential candidates contesting the December 7, elections.

The mentioned three presidential candidates namely Prof. Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Convention People's Party (CPP) and Dr. Edward Mahama, People's National Convention (PNC) as candidates who do not have what it takes to match Nana Akufo-Addo and declared the rest of the candidates as non-presidential materials.

The president was addressing one of the biggest political gatherings in recent times in the Greater Accra Region at Ashaiman as the general elections draw closer.

According to president Kufuor, Ghanaians should be wary of those who have been singing the refrain of tackling corruptions if they come to power and said such people were only envious of the NPP.

He said fighting corruption was no rhetoric but it takes great efforts such as putting in place certain laws to deal with the canker.

The president said it was the NPP aspirant who had the advantage to deal with the menace because he had prepared the grounds very well for Nana Akufo-Addo to stamp out corruption.

He described such anti-corruption trumpeters as people who, if given the nod, would only seize properties belonging to hard working Ghanaians on the basis of being seen with good houses and vehicles.

He noted that if the NPP government had prosecuted all the NDC members who had embezzled state funds, all NDC members would have been languishing in jail by now.

But he indicated that his government had an agenda; to see to the development of the country, and had therefore not wasted it moment prosecuting NDC members.

He reminded the people of Ashaiman of what the government had done for them, especially raising the status of the area to a Municipality and also linking the town to Tema with the flyover.

President Kufuor said the candidature of Nana Akufo-Addo was no fluke because the party had prepared him for the task ahead and that he was the most qualified person to take over from him.

He mentioned that Nana Akufo-Addo had been part of his vision that saw to putting Ghana on an enviable landmark in the league of nations and should not be left in the hands of 'nation wreckers'.

On his part, Nana Akufo-Addo accused the NDC of leaving the country in ruin and that at the time the NPP took over, Ghana had only $235 million in its coffers but the NPP was leaving behind $2.6 billion.

Nana Akufo-Addo therefore appealed to the electorate not to vote for people who lacked integrity, hard work, honesty and vision.

He assured the electorate that he was the man to complete what president Kufuor had started.

The presidential candidate urged the people to have hope in him to keep the hope of the nation still 'going high and high'.

Nana Akufo-Addo said the NPP government was the only one in the history of the country to give back lands to traditional owners.

On the discovery of oil, Nana Akufo-Addo said president Kufuor had demonstrated to Ghanaians that the promise he made in 2000 as a candidate that if voted into power he would discover oil for the country had been kept.

He said the promise had come to fruition because “president Kufuor attached business-like attitude to the discovery of the oil”.

Nana Akufo-Addo therefore indicated that it would be the same attitude and approach he would adopt to national issues.

Other speakers at the function were Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo and some big-wigs of the party.

Before the arrival of the flagbearer, supporters of the party like swarms of bees besieged the Ashiaman township clad in party T shirts and other paraphernalia, and danced through the principal streets of the town to herald the 'takeover' of Ashiaman.

The stage was set with musical interludes from various musicians in the country.

At hand to provide music to spice up the occasion were Kwabena Kwabena, Daddy Lumba, Wutah, Praye, A'Plus, K.K. Fosu, Kofi Nti, Kofi B, and Tinny with support from comedians like Agyakoo, Akrobetu, Chico, Ice Kenkey, Papa Sly and some members of the Ghana Concert Party Association of Ghana.

The crowd went into frenzy when the flagbearer stormed the rally grounds.

His Excellency President John Agyekum Kufuor, as if to demonstrate his absolute handing over of the baton to his successor, followed suit to another rousing reception.

The two most important persons in Ghana's politics, holding hands and dancing joyously to the song 'O ye No1, O' and a medley of songs from the same artistes matched onto the podium and paid homage to the teeming supporters.

Nana later introduced all the Greater Accra Regional parliamentary candidates to the electorate. From Wisdom Peter Awuku