Sekou Joins NPP

One of the sons of Ghana’s first President, Sekou Nkrumah, is set to join the campaign of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) as part of his contribution to help kick out the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) from office in December 7, 2012 when Ghana goes to the polls.

Sekou believes the main opposition party cannot win the 2012 elections on a silver platter and therefore needs to involve individuals and group of persons who are not from the Danquah-Busia stock in their campaigns to attract floating voters and members of the NDC who have fallen out with the party, saying, “I think that one would give more confidence to the platform.”

According to him, people like him who had fallen out with the Mills administration would easily appeal to the conscience of floating voters and disgruntled supporters of the NDC.

Sekou, who was removed as National Coordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC) for criticizing President Mills and his government, made the revelation during an interview with DAILY GUIDE in which he declared his readiness to join the NPP campaign.

“I think the change is possible; the NPP can win the 2012 elections but it looks as if there’s been a bit of a relaxed mode on the NPP. I think they should be a lot more aggressive on the campaign. Six months is long enough to kick-start the campaign in a very aggressive way,” he said.

Dr Nkrumah noted that “there is obviously going to be a struggle; it’s not going to be easy for the NPP but I think NPP needs to put a lot of effort in the campaign and reach out to a lot of people outside the NPP as well.”

According to him, “There are many fronts and some of us; I mean the younger generation can easily be involved in the Vice President’s campaign and maybe the older folk will focus more on the Nana Addo campaign.”

Though, he claimed the NPP stood a better chance in the upcoming elections than the NDC, he said, “I think that we need to work for it because nothing comes easy” since, according to him, there were so many possibilities.

NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo’s campaign manager, Boakye Agyarko, has welcomed Sekou and like-minded individuals and groups who want to join the party’s campaign.

Mr Agyarko told DAILY GUIDE that they believed they would help restore hope in Ghanaians.

For now, the plain-speaking Sekou, who resigned from the ruling NDC to declare his unflinching support for the NPP and its Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, said the NPP had not done enough to bring some of these people other than members of their own party on board their campaign.

“Some of us are sitting on the fence, I think the NPP needs to get us all involved so that the campaign becomes much more aggressive and reach out to the wider public,” he said.

That notwithstanding, he asked the leadership of the party not to be complacent but work hard to achieve victory, considering the fact that they were dealing with a party in government which could use incumbency to its advantage.