'We Shall Be Back'
·Nana Akufo-Addo acknowledging cheers THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) will today launch a national 'thank-you' tour to subtly kick-start the campaign for the 2012 general elections. The party's flag-bearer for the 2008 elections, Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to lead the tour which takes off from the Ashanti region.
According to party insiders, the rationale is to thank God for the peace that prevailed during the last elections and also show gratitude to NPP members for their contribution and support.
“We shall be back in 2012. Where we are now is not where we belong and this is not our limit; the sky is the limit and with a unity of strength, there is no way we can fail. Definitely, we shall be back in government come 2012,” Nana Addo told several hundreds of jubilant NPP supporters at a colourful thanksgiving service the party held in Accra last Saturday to thank the Almighty God for the peace that prevailed during the recently held elections.
“We were not able to get the party into government but we fought a good fight. We have half of the votes that were counted and we still remain a very strong party.
“We should be thankful to God and to the many, many party members and supporters whose hard work has brought us this far. We really need to appreciate that contribution as we get ready for 2012. We shall definitely be back. Indeed, we can, we should, we must and we would; really we shall be back,” Nana Addo added.
The interdenominational church service was nearly turned into a mammoth political rally as several hundreds of the party's supporters, dressed in a variety of party paraphernalia, and recklessly screaming their heads off, trooped to the Trade Fair site, venue for the program, to the extent that there was no sitting space.
Though service ended before 3:00pm, party members kept trooping to the Trade Fair even as late as 5:30 pm.
Former President John Kufuor, former ministers and deputy ministers of state and, Members of Parliament, national, regional and constituency executive members and almost all party big-shots were at the venue.
Some party members carried placards which read, “No primaries for 2012, Nana All the way”, “Nana for 2012, obia se eye” and many others with inscriptions which suggested they wanted Nana Addo to remain the party's candidate for 2012.
In his address, ex-President Kufuor, who arrived at the tail end of the program, called for unity among party members and noted that the NPP was founded and had thrived on the principles of the fear of God, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
By Halifax Ansah-Addo