Akufo-Addo ends tour of Ashanti region

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, has ended his 3-day tour of the Ashanti Region, with a firm assurance to the people of the region, and Ghanaians at large, that he is going to assemble one of the best governments ever seen in the history of Ghana, a government that will bring prosperity to all Ghanaians under his tenure of office, God-willing, beginning in 2017.

The NPP flagbearer maintained he is coming into office to do a job for Ghana, and, thus, urged all NPP faithful to work hard, employ the use of decorous language amongst themselves and in their discourse with the electorate, and, together, rise and help rebuild Ghana.

An NPP victory, Akufo-Addo stressed, will be a victory for all Ghanaians, as “it will be a watershed in the development of our country”, adding that “I am confident that Almighty God will look on our hard work and grant us victory in 2016. This victory will not be an NPP victory, but a victory for all Ghanaians.”

Nana Akufo-Addo made this known on Saturday, October 10, in the last in the series of meetings with regional and constituency executives, as well as parliamentary candidates from 14 constituencies in the Ashanti Region. The constituencies were Asawase, Manhyia North, Manhyia South, Oforikrom, Suame, Old Tafo, Kwadaso, Nhyiaeso, Bantama, Asokwa, Offinso North, Offinso South, Subin and Bosomtwe.

Stop begging

The NPP flagbearer, who had in his tour of the 8 other regions assured the private sector of the provision of fiscal incentives to stimulate growth of the sector when he becomes President, urged President Mahama to follow in this path.

Nana Akufo-Addo, shocked by President Mahama’s decision, literally, to beg investors to set up their industries in Ghana, stated that this was not the way to go if Ghana is to industrialise and create the thousands of jobs needed for the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth.

“What Ghanaians demand from a President of Ghana, endowed with all the power of the State, is to put in place policies and measures which will stimulate the growth of local production, and not to go begging,” the NPP flagbearer said.

He continued, “We are not looking for a President who will go and beg for us. We want proper policies that will make it possible for our industries to grow. If you put in place policies aimed at strengthening your currency, reducing interest rates and putting in place an effective fiscal policy, these are the things that will stimulate local production, and not begging.”

To the Ghanaian private sector, Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated his pledge of putting in place the requisite policies that will result in the industrial development of Ghana when elected President in the 2016 election.

“That is what we, in the NPP, are going to do when we come into power to help develop our nation,” he added.

Mahama’s double standards

Earlier in the day, Nana Akufo-Addo, in an interview on Kumasi-based radio station, Hello FM, exposed the double standards adopted by President Mahama on the issue of the voters’ register.

It will be recalled that, whilst in France, the President is reported to have stated that the Electoral Commission should be left alone to do its works concerning the voters’ register, explaining that “I have no right to interfere in that list. Ghana has an Electoral Commissioner that is independent and does not consult the president to do anything.”

Despite stating that he was not going to interfere in the work of the EC, President Mahama is reported to have stressed that “it is a relatively young register because we have only used it for only one election and it was a register that has been biometrically compiled. And what we have done in the past is that when we have a young register we clean it up but one party says they want it scrapped completely and a new register compiled. We have to look at whether they have a case and that is why they are supposed to present their view but they are not only presenting view they are holding demonstration. It is for the EC to decide what to do.”

This, in the opinion of the NPP flagbearer, constituted “double standards, as usual,” on the part of the President.

“When some of us speak, President Mahama calls that interfering with the work of the EC. But, he believes his comments on the register and the need for it to be cleaned, instead of the compilation of a new register, does not constitute an interference? In a democracy, public opinion is key”, Akufo-Addo added.

The NPP flagbearer will on Sunday, October 11, commence his “Rise and Build Tour” of the Greater Accra Region, and bring the first phase of the tour to a conclusion.

Nana Akufo-Addo was accompanied on his 3-day tour of the Ashanti Region by 3rd National Vice NPP Chairman, F.F. Anto; NPP National Organiser, John Boadu; NPP National Women’s Organiser, Otiko Afisa Djaba; NPP National Youth Organiser, Sammy Awuku; Deputy NPP General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen; Deputy National Youth Organiser, Mustapha Salam; 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Essikado Ketan, Hon. Joe Ghartey; former presidential aspirant and former Minister of Trade, Industry and PSIs under President Kufuor, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; former presidential aspirant and former Minister of Trade and Industry under President Kufuor, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku; MP for Mampong and former presidential aspirant, Hon. Francis Addai Nimo; Hon. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, former presidential aspirant and former Minister of Information; Political Assistant, Francis Asenso-Boakye; Press Secretary, Eugene Arhin; Campaign Aides, Iddrisu Musah ‘Superior’ and Pius Hadzide, together with regional stalwarts like Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman; Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, former Minister for Defence and former MP for Manhyia; Hon. S.K Boafo, former MP for Subin and former Minister for Chieftaincy Affairs; Cecilia Abena Dapaah, former Minister for Works and Housing and former MP for Bantama; and Hon. Osei Prempeh, former Deputy Minister for Justice and former MP for Nsuta.