Nana Addo vows "revolution" in closing rally

The presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday described himself as an ordained leader set to shepherd the country into a new industrial revolution.

At the last and closing rally of the party in Accra, Nana Addo said the country is on the threshold of a major economic breakthrough, especially on the backs of its oil find.

“Industrial revolution, that is the next phase of our development under the NPP. That will form the basis for jobs and wealth creation in the country,” he said.

The flag-bearer drew large applause as he stroke confidently across a large podium erected at the centre of the rally ground with tunes of the party's campaign refrain “we are going forward” thrusting out of the huge array of speakers set at the corners of the park.

The mammoth rally, attended by scores of party bigwigs and kinpins, saw one of the biggest attendances ever recorded in the campaign trail of the elephant fraternity.

With the streets swarmed with supporters and members clad in party paraphernalia, vehicular traffic could hardly flow.

The flag-bearer, in perhaps the penultimate lap towards the polls scheduled for Sunday, predicted a first-round one-touch victory for the NPP. He said the party would glide peacefully to the "finishing line" on election day as a victorious team.

Nana Addo, amid cheers from the supporters spread over some one square kilometre, chided the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), tagging its officials as trouble makers pursuing a campaign laden with hypocrisy and ethnic tendencies.

“We are not putting the destiny of this county into their hands again,” he declared.

He alleged the NDC, anticipating a loss, had been nursing plans of plunging the country into bloodbath, and warned that Ghanaians must resist such tendencies.

The flag-bearer said the electorate must not encourage persons who might want to perpetrate mayhem during the elections.

Perhaps the hardest dig of the evening against the opposition NDC came when the flag-bearer said he was not a “yoo ke gari,” creditor. The former President and founder of the NDC, Jerry Rawlings, is reported to have said he seized the reigns of power a pauper who could not afford three square meals a day.

Touching on what he said spurred him on to pursue a political career, Nana Addo said he was in to ensure that the country pulls itself out of its economic doldrums and to be transformed into a first world economy.

Nana Addo said if given the mandate, he would deepen the country's fledging democracy and promote and rule of law.

“My government would highlight and deepen democracy and would help develop a country where human right and the rule of law are respected,” he said.

He thanked President Kufuor for a good work done and promised to continue what he said was the strong foundation built by the former President.

The President, who is also a Chatham House awardee, addressing the teeming crowd said he was leaving a great legacy for the country.
He stated that Nana Addo was the best person to continue government's development agenda.

Describing the NPP as the party with the best programmes, the President stated that policies pursued by his government had been born out of a “shared vision, a shared mission and shared aspiration.

Members of the Akufo-Addo campaign team also took turns to address supporters. They called on the electorate to turn out in their numbers to vote massively for the Akufo-Addo presidential bid.

Story by Fiifi Koomson