A flagbearer hopeful for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, underscored the importance of building a strong and formidable united front in order to break the eight-year governance cycle of the NPP.
The former Food and Agriculture Minister assured the party’s delegates that if he is elected as the presidential candidate, he will work relentlessly to better their lives.
According to him, his personal interactions and talks with grassroots people have demonstrated that people, particularly party members, are suffering while their party is in power.
“I assured them that I would work tirelessly to address all their concerns and build a formidable front in order to win the 2024 elections should I be elected as the flagbearer of the NPP. I then appealed to them not to despair but to keep hope alive.” He noted
Dr. Afriyie Akoto stated that the party’s members, particularly those at the grassroots (Electoral Area Coordinators and Polling Station Executives), had fared poorly during its six and a half years in power.
He added that it was as a result of this that he resigned from his post and accepted the position of party flagbearer.
“The current state of the party is not the best to enter into the 2024 general elections with.” He told delegates
He also asked party delegates to rally behind him in order for him to become the party’s flagbearer, allowing him to alter things so that everyone may profit from the results of their labour.
“Our party is in power, and the NPP would not be in power without your support.” When I was minister, I flew to all 16 regions of Ghana to meet farmers, extension officers, and others, except in 2020 due to COVID-19. I was doing these things to figure out what was going on in the agric sector. Along the way, I met with members of the party and officials at all levels. There were numerous concerns at these gatherings. The complaints, among other things, emphasised our executives’ difficulties.
Many of our party’s delegates and leaders, the majority of whom are farmers, were struggling. Some of you are dissatisfied and have given up. You anticipated to see some progress in the few years that this government has been in office. But I want to encourage you not to give up. Things will shift. I am concerned about the well-being of our people, and if elected as a presidential candidate, I will prioritise their well-being. I beg you to vote for me as your presidential candidate, and I promise not to let you down.”
Dr. Afriyie Akoto made this observation while speaking to party delegates comprised of Polling Station Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators, constituency executives, and council of elders, among others, on his nationwide campaign tour, which began on Monday, June 13, 2023, in the Greater Accra Region.
Shai Osudoku, Ningo-Prampram, Ashaiman, Domeabra-Obom, Ayawaso East, and Ayawaso West are among the constituencies he visited.
He was accompanied on the tour by his two Co-Campaign Chairmen, Alfred Boye, a former Greater Accra NPP Regional Chairman, and KEN-WUUD Nuworsu, also a former NPP Volta Regional Chairman; the National Coordinator of the Campaign Team, Peter Oteng Darko; and the Campaign Spokesperson, Dr. Prince Sodoke Amuzu.
