Akufo-Addo to pay 'special attention' to 4 'weak' regions

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given a firm assurance to the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party, and to the people of Ghana, that, ahead of the 2016 general elections, he intends to pay “special” attention to the Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Volta Regions.

Describing these four regions as the “weakest on the NPP map”, Nana Akufo-Addo explained that his decision to visit all 4 regions in the 1st half of his “Rise and Build” tour is a clear indication of the NPP’s resolve to mount a strong challenge for every single vote from these regions in 2016.

The 2016 presidential candidate noted that an appreciable improvement over the results of the 2012 election in these 4 regions will all but guarantee victory for the NPP in next year’s polls.

He made this known whilst addressing a meeting of regional and constituency executives, as well as parliamentary candidates and their competitors from 16 constituencies of the Northern Region. The constituencies were Wulensi, Bimbilla, Damongo, Bole, Kpandai, Zabzugu, Tatale, Chereponi, Saboba, Yunyoo, Bunkpurugu, Nalerigu, Walewale, Yagba-Kubore, Daboya-Mankarigu and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba.

Commending party members, and constituency and regional executives from the Northern Region for their good showing in the 2012 election, which saw the party winning 10 seats, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that this was by far the party’s best performance in the Northern Region in the 4th Republic. This, he said, is a solid foundation for the annexing of more parliamentary seats and a significant increase in the popular vote for the party in 2016.

“We have to target becoming the majority party in the Northern Region. That should be our target for the election of 2016, and that target is within our grasp,” he maintained.

Co-operation key to victory

The key to an NPP victory, Nana Akufo-Addo said, lies in effective co-operation amongst the constituency executives, regional executives, parliamentary candidates and their competitors, as well as former appointees, including former Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, under President Kufuor.

He applauded the high turnout of these former appointees at the meeting, a turnout he described as the highest in any of the 5 regions he has visited so far. He noted that the party would tap into the wealth of experience of former NPP appointees, and also incorporate them in the constituency and regional campaigns going into 2016.

“We all have to come together to co-operate and make it possible for us to win the election of 2016,” Akufo-Addo maintained.

Nana Akufo-Addo, in particular, urged the parliamentary candidates to make sure there is a place for every member of the party in the constituency campaign.

“You, the parliamentary candidates, are the leaders of the campaign in your constituencies. So I am appealing to you take the lead. My old friends, Thomas Ogajah in Wulensi; Charles Bintim in Saboba; Alima Mahama in Nalerigu; Veronica Hemmings in Bole; and my new friend Thomas Mbomba in Tatale, I want you to take the lead in bringing everybody on board in your constituencies. These are winnable constituencies and with co-operation we can and should win them,” he said.

Not only did the NPP flagbearer call for co-operation at the base of the party, he also called for mutual understanding amongst all regional executives, stressing that “we don’t want any egos to stand in the way of our victory in 2016. We have one objective, to capture power in our country so we can begin the rebuilding of Ghana. I am appealing to everybody, let us have that as our single goal.”

Commitment to Northern Development Authority

To the people of the Northern Region, Nana Akufo-Addo assured them of his commitment towards ensuring that the historic gap in development between the North and South is bridged once and for all, when he is elected President in the 2016 election.

Through the competent implementation of his Northern Development Authority concept, which was re-christened as the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) by the NDC government, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that this Authority would be the vehicle for wealth creation for the people of the 3 Northern Regions.

SADA under the NDC government, which was meant to be the basis for the reconstruction of the North, Akufo-Addo said, has unfortunately turned out to be a vehicle for theft, embezzlement and widespread corruption. An idea he mooted to help develop the Northern sector, in the hands of a leader of Northern origin, has become a siphon for corruption and for theft of public funds.

“I want to assure the people of the North that I am still committed to the idea of the Northern Development Authority. I want to assure them that if, by the grace of God and with your co-operation and hardwork, I win the presidential election of 2016, we are going to see the proper implementation of SADA to help the North develop and bridge the gap,” he said.

SADA, Nana Akufo-Addo added, “is going to be what it was intended to be – a vehicle for creating wealth in the North. Our victory is going to mean a reconstruction of the Ghanaian economy, the beginning of the industrial revolution in Ghana, the modernisation of Ghanaian agriculture so that in ten years’ time we will see a different, prosperous Ghana from what we are seeing today.”