Akufo-Addo confident in Electoral Commission

Cape Coast, Jan. 11, GNA - The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, has said he was putting his confidence in the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in December.

He said the EC was going to conduct the fifth successful general elections that both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and NPP have each won twice.

"I pray that clean, fair and transparent elections would conducted so that whoever becomes the winner will be accepted by all without anyone finding excuses."

Nana Akufo-Addo said this in Cape Coast on Thursday when he met party delegates and supporters as part of his nationwide tour to thank them for electing him.

Te National Chairman of the party, Mr Peter Mac Manu, and the General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow accompanied him.

Mr Alan Kyeremanten, Mr Kwabena Adjepong, Mr Dan Botwe, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, Papa Owusu Ankomah, Prof Mike Oquaye, Dr Kofi Konadu Apreku, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor and Mr Arthur Kennedy, all former presidential aspirants were also in his entourage.

Nana Akufo-Addo described the December elections as crucial and critical for the NPP and told the gathering that with their vigilance and support, the party would make history that the NDC could not make in 2000. "Come January 7 2009, President Kufuor would hand over power to another NPP member," he asked.

Nana Akufo-Addo said to make this come true, it was imperative for all members, particularly those who have turned 18, to register when the voters' register is opened in March.

"The registration of names should be a serious matter for this election and come December it would be straight for the party, if you fill the register with the names of NPP supporters."

He reiterated his determination to bridge the gap between party and the government when he is voted into power and that from now he was going to work hand in hand with the party as well as liase with it to set up a taskforce, to evolve guidelines that Nana Addo-Dankwa thanked the other former aspirants for their support and appealed to their supporters to rally behind him to enable the party win the elections and called on constituency, regional and zonal executives to settle their differences.

Mr Mac-Manu said the government was not only going to use its good economic policies and development projects to convince Ghanaians to vote it back into power, but that the party, would come out with a new party manifesto to enable it make a 65 percent win in the elections. He said it was not true that the party was planning to rig the elections and that due to the hard work and sound polices of the government, it was going to win hands down.

"The successful party congress has made the party stronger than before, contrary to speculations that it would be divided after the congress."

All the nine former aspirants re-affirmed their support for Nana Akufo-Addo and called on their supporters to work hard at the constituency level to enable the party make history in African politics.