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General News of Monday, 5 December 2016

Source: The New Statesman

Come out and vote for change - Akufo-Addo appeals to Ghanaians

Nana Akufo-Addo appeals to Ghanaians to vote for change on Wednesday. play videoNana Akufo-Addo appeals to Ghanaians to vote for change on Wednesday.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, is urging all suffering Ghanaians to come out in their numbers on Wednesday, December 7, to vote for him and his party’s parliamentary candidates, to translate their burning desire for change of government into reality.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, even though the desire for a change from the incompetent and corrupt government of the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress, to a competent NPP government, is stronger than before, that will only be achieved if the masses turn out in their numbers to vote massively on Wednesday.

Making the appeal yesterday, during the grand rally of the main opposition party at the forecourt of the Ghana International Trade Fair, Nana Addo gave the assurance that effective measures had been put in place to protect all the votes that would be cast for him and his party’s parliamentary candidates.

That assurance was a direct response to concerns by some section of Ghanaians who appear to think that even if they cast their votes for the NPP, the governing NDC will rig the polls and so the true will of the people will not prevail.

“We have learned our lessons from past experience and so I can assure all Ghanaians that the votes they cast for us will be secured to ensure that the change they are seeking becomes a reality. In this regard, I want to encourage our polling agents to remain firm on the ground,” Nana assured Saturday during an interview with Fiifi Boafo on Oman FM.

He noted at yesterday’s rally: “there is a strong wind of change blowing behind the elephant across the country. And we are marching to the Flagstaff House and I know Ghana is on our side so we will get there.”

Thanking Ghanaians for the massive support shown him across the country, Nana Akufo-Addo gave the assurance that he would never disappoint the people, but would work in their best interest when given the opportunity to serve as the president.

“I won’t disappoint you but will use the wisdom God has given me, my knowledge and experience to work in your interest and put Ghana on the path of progress and prosperity. I am not seeking political power to steal your money or to loot the national coffers,” Nana Akufo-Addo stressed.

He added: “the NPP has got the men and women who will implement our sound policies and programmes to end the current hardship the nation is going through due to President Mahama’s poor handling of the economy. The time to change the hardship is now. Go out and vote on Wednesday to end the hardship: the high school fees, the high electricity bills, etc.”

Nana Akufo-Addo urged the people to ignore all the vile campaign being carried out by the NDC to assassinate his character, adding that even though the governing party would intensify the attacks in the final hours to the Wednesday polls, he won’t be perturbed because “I have never stolen anything or killed anybody throughout my life.”

Mahamudu Bawumia, NPP Vice Presidential Candidate, told the gathering that the upcoming election is “a choice between an incompetent government and a competent government; and a choice between a corrupt government and an incorruptible government.”

According to Dr Bawumia, the worse thing that can happen to the country is an extension of the mandate of President Mahama and the governing NDC for another term. He therefore underscored the need for all Ghanaians to come out in their numbers to vote for change on Wednesday, “to usher in a government of the NPP under the competent and incorruptible leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor said the December 7 election would be historic, and urged people to troop to the polling stations in their numbers with one thing in mind: to change the NDC and bring in an NPP government led by Nana Akufo-Addo, and supported by Dr Bawumia.

“When I woke up this morning, I was pondering on what to say to our supporters today. When I opened the bible, it took me straight to the book of Joshua and realized that just as God instructed Joshua on how he can take the Israelites to cross Jordan, God has chosen Nana Addo to lead Ghana,” he said.

According to the former President, even though Ghana had been put on the path to prosperity by the previous NPP government, the path had been reversed in the last eight years of the NDC government.

“We knew where the economy was when we came into power in 2000. Now we need the NPP to alleviate the country from the mess created by the NDC in 2016,” he said.