Osafo-Marfo picks nomination form

Accra, Sept. 25 GNA - Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, an aspiring presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday picked up nomination forms at the party's headquarters in Accra.

Mr Osafo-Marfo who arrived at the Party offices accompanied by a large group of supporters and family members amidst shouting of appellations, paid the required GH=A2500 fee in banker's draft for the form.

After receiving his nomination forms, Mr Osafo-Marfo, urged party delegates to choose a candidate who is not just popular within the Party, but someone acceptable to the majority of Ghanaians. He said the NPP had done so much for the country in the last six years and that it would be a tragedy if the current administration could not handover to another NPP government.

Mr Osafo-Marfo contended that he was the best-placed candidate among the contestants with connections around the world to bring in the needed investments and capital to develop the country. He said the NPP needed somebody who could attract floating voters since the core voters of the NPP might not win the 2008 elections for the Party.

When asked whether he was not worried about some aspirants using money to influence the delegates, he said, "the NPP delegates were very discerning and I believe that they would give the Party the right candidate."

Mr Osafo-Marfo said the biggest problem facing Ghana today was unemployment and as such the next President of the country should be somebody with the needed expertise to address the problem. Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary of the NPP, who received Mr Osafo-Marfo, gave the assurance that all contestants would be given a level playing field so that no one became slighted.

Earlier, Mr Felix Owusu Agyepong, former Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, former Chief Executive of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Dr Kobina Arthur Kennedy, a Ghanaian medical officer based in the United states, were at the NPP Headquarters to pay and collect their nomination forms. For his part, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister for Regional Cooperation and NEPAD had completed and returned his nominations form with the required GH=A225,000 cedis filing fee.

He became the second to complete and submit the forms after Mr Alan Kyerematen, who submitted his forms with full payment on Monday.