Elephant Patriots volunteer to sponsor aspirants' debate

Accra, June 4, GNA - The Elephant Patriots, a think tank forum of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has offered to sponsor the proposed flag bearer aspirants' debate suggested by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, an aspirant.

"We see ourselves to belong to an intellectual forum and so it is in our view..This forum has in the past attempted to invite the aspirants who want to lead the NPP to share their vision with us".

"That was laudable except that it was not successful," Mr Akilu Sayibu said in a contribution at the forum made available to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday.

"Having read the reasons Prof. Frimpong-Boateng tabled in his call for a debate among our aspirants, I see it as very laudable and would like to suggest that it should be given highest consideration". "On behalf of the forum, I call on the National Executive Committee (NEC) to submit a bill on the organisation of the debate even if it means conducting only one in Tamale so that we on this forum can sponsor it. We have over 600 members and we can do it," he added.

Mr Sayibu commended activists of the party for expanding the number of delegates that would elect its flag bearer for Election 2012."let us score another first in Ghana by this intra-party debate for aspirants of our party".

Other contributors including Mr Yaw Boasiako and Mr Stephen Ofori-Appiah described Prof. Frimpong-Boateng's call as laudable but suggested that the debate should take the form of a round table discussion among the aspirants.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, an NPP Flag-bearer aspirant had challenged the other four aspirants to a debate as part of efforts to deepen and consolidate internal democracy and promote issue-based campaigning. "I call on NEC to organise three 'Flagbearer Aspirants' Debates' in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale," Prof. Frimpong-Boateng told Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Accra.

He said the debate would offer a single platform for the five contestants to dialogue and discuss their visions, policies and programmes to enable the delegates make an informed choice as to who should lead the party to Election 2012.

The other aspirants are Mr Isaac Osei, Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin, Mr John Kwame Koduah, a Kumasi-based legal practitioner; Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a former Minister of Trade, Industry and PSI and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP's presidential candidate in Election 2008. 4 June 10