AKUFO-ADDP HAS LEADERSHIP QUALITIES — OSAFO MAAFO (PAGE 16)

A. KOFOYA-TETTEH, ADEISO

ONE of the defeated New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirants, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has stated that the sterling qualities of statesmanship in Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made it possible for him to be elected flag bearer of the NPP.
He said such leadership qualities were what Ghana needed to continue with the good works of President Kufuor.
He therefore asked the rank and file of the NPP, as well as Ghanaians, to support Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP to win the December elections to complete the development agenda of the party.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said this at a durbar of the chiefs and people of Adeiso in the Upper West Akyem Constituency in the Eastern Region during which Nana Akufo-Addo and the parliamentary candidate for the area, Nana Yaw Koranteng, were introduced to the people.
Nana Akufo-Addo together with Mr Osafo-Maafo and Mr Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, as well as a number of NPP executive and MPs, was in the constituency, which had never been won by the NPP, to canvass for support to turn the tide of the voting pattern in the constituency during the December elections.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said although he competed with Nana Akufo-Addo and lost, he together with fellow contestants, as well as the entire executive, had realised the leadership qualities in Nana Akufo-Addo and that was why they had thrown their weight behind him, adding that “he is the best person from the NPP at the moment to take over from President Kufuor”.
“Although Nana competed with President Kufuor in 1998 but lost at a good second position, he supported the President and it is time for him to lead the party to victory and take over from President Kufuor,” Mr Osafo-Maafo stated.
For his part, Nana Akufo-addo deplored the fact that the people in the Upper West Akyem Constituency had always voted for the National Democratic Congress but had not gained anything from it and asked them to shift camp to the NPP, to see the difference.
Nana Akufo-Addo stated that although the people in the constituency did not vote for the NPP, they had not been denied their share of the national cake, and that more good things would be added if they should vote for the retention of the government.
On allegations that the NPP Administration would drive settler farmers from Akyem lands, as well the people in the Zongo communities, he said such allegations were propaganda ploys of the party’s opponents and that nobody would be asked to leave his place of abode at any given time.
“These allegations started long ago and have you heard or witnessed any expulsion of a settler farmer or Zongo dweller ever since the NPP came to power more than seven years ago?” Nana Akufo-Addo asked.
Earlier, the Municipal Chief Executive for the West Akyem Municipality, Mr Kwabena Sintim Aboagye, had highlighted the numerous social amenities such as roads, good drinking water and government initiatives such as the health insurance scheme, Capitation Grant, School Feeding Programme and poverty alleviation loans that had been made available in the area.
That was followed by speeches from Messrs J. Danquah Adu, Ofosu Asamoah and James Appiatu Ankrah, MPs for Abuakwa North, Kade and Lower West Akyem respectively to appeal to the people to support the party’s parliamentary candidate to take the seat from the NDC.