Story by Ian Okwei

The environs of Bolgatanga was on Thursday thrown into a joyous mood when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo one of the presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party and members of his Victory 2012 Team arrived in the region as part of his tour of the three northern regions. He completed his tour of all ten constituencies of the Upper West Wednesday.

Taking a philosophical look at the 2008 defeat, Nana Akufo-Addo, who lost the 2008 presidential contest with slimmest of margins in Africa's history saw the victory of Prof John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress as allowing the people of Ghana to appreciate the difference between the two parties and to have a fuller appreciation of the fact that the NPP is the only party with a credible, viable programme for Ghana's progress and the people's prosperity.

The man tipped to face President Mills for the second time in the 2012 presidential poll said the difference between the incompetence of the NDC and the competence of the NPP is like night and day.

"It is better to appreciate the light during a period of darkness. But this NDC darkness should be short-lived. It must not be allowed to endure a moment longer than the constitution would allow. We must return Ghana into a new and exciting era of light, peace, development and prosperity," he said.

Just as in Wa, it was as if Bolga was under siege, with people running from every where but towards one direction - towards Nana Akufo-Addo's vehicle. The people of the Upper East received Nana Akufo-Addo as if they were celebrating a Black Stars triumph in the World Cup. Party supporters in their hundreds met Nana Akufo-Addo's four-vehicle convoy on the outskirts of Bolgatanga on horsebacks, scores of motorbikes, buses and other vehicles.

What was more remarkable in Bolgatanga and its surroundings was the mass of spontaneous response of jubilation that the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the NPP received, as people poured onto the streets from all corners of the metropolis to catch a glimpse of the leading contender in the race to choose the 2012 Presidential Candidate for the party on August 7, who in turn waved all through out the couple of hours that the crowd slowed his drive through the metropolis.

Several women and young voters, mostly staunch supporters of the NPP, who spoke to this reporter expressed their desire for Nana Akufo Addo to win the flag bearership because, according to them, he represents the party's best hope of breaking the trend of two four-year-terms per president before a change.

In 2008, Nana Akufo-Addo needed some 21,000 vote swing to win an election he lost by some 40,000 votes. The apparent disappointment of the people of Ghana about the unfulfilled promises of the President Mills government amid the increasing cost of living have given the NPP hope of a quick turn-around back to power.

But, Nana Akufo-Addo, in addressing delegates, has warned the NPP against complacency. He said, the NDC was not going to make it easy for the NPP to take back power from them.

"It calls, first of all, for the genuine unity and sincere loyalty among the Elephant Family. It calls for coordinated planning. It calls for resources and a discipline in using resources efficiently and effectively. It calls for keeping the government on its toes and presenting the country with a credible alternative set of competent men and women and a more imaginative and constructive programme for both national and individual development and prosperity," Akufo-Addo told his audience.

In stressing the point that victory in 2012 would not be handed over on a silver platter, Nana Akufo-Addo asked polling station executives and other party functionaries that when the times comes they must be vigilant in protecting and promoting the integrity of the ballot and exhibit 100 percent commitment in spreading the positive message of the party even from now.

For their part, the leadership of the party will do all that they can to provide the regions, constituencies, electoral area corodinators and polling station executives with the necessary resources and leadership to make Victory 2012 a reality.