Vote for one of our own: John Boadu tells NPP delegates

John Boadu, the National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party has stated that youth and women of the party is looking for presidential candidate "who comes from us.”

His call for a leader with an authentic record of active party loyalty and services. Was met with loud shouts with the 600 delegates who met at the Georgia Hotel, Kumasi for the NPP National Youth & Women's Conference held at the weekend.

Also, at the end of the three-day annual conference, a 12-point resolution was adopted. On top of the list was the pledge that the Youth & Women Wings “are poised to defend” the principles upon which the “NPP is built” which they maintain have stood the test of time. Mr Boadu told the gathering that victory in December 2008 “is a done deal” but only if the “rules of the game are respected.” The sentiment at the gathering was that the party's long-standing democratic tradition was under threat from the opulent use of cash and alleged threats for people to tow a particular line. The meeting, in an apparent militant mood further resolved that “the destiny of the party lies in the domain of the Youth and Women of the party” who “are ready to guide and safeguard it at all times for posterity.” In an apparent swipe at those the rank and file of the party sees as enjoying today after the hard work was done in opposition, the Youth and Women Wings rededicated “their unflinching support, commitment, and loyalty to the [NPP] course through thick and thin…” But, one call that met the loudest approval was the call by the National Youth Organiser for the two wings to be given automatic right of say in deciding who becomes the presidential candidate.

This was later on reduced into Resolution 6 as follows: "That the Youth and Women Organisers are appealing to National Council to allow them to be included as delegates to attend the party’s Delegates Congress that would elect the party’s flagbearer in Decmeber 22, 2007."

They observed that the empowerment of the Youth and Women wings of the party should be the prime concern of the party in that all electoral successes would be achieved only when the two bodies are made critical instruments in the operations of the party. To this end, they called on the party leadership to adequately resource TESCON and the Nasara Club to enable them discharge their assigned duties effectively and efficiently. In a strongly worded warning, the Youth Wing condemned attempts to create divisions within it, especially efforts fueled by some former executive of the Tertiary Education Students Confederacy to create another youth grouping. Resolution 8 warned: "That TESCON falls directly under the Youth Wing of the Party and the Youth Wing will not entertain any action and inaction that would bring division among their ranks." The meeting further resolved that "all the NPP presidential aspirants should weigh their commissions and omissions since the party is supreme. The Youth and Women’s wings of the party would not deal kindly with any of them who will intend to damage the future of the Party and for that matter these special wings." To deepen the ideological grounding of party members, especially the youth, the meeting resolved that an Ideological and Mentoring institution be established by the Party "so that the Youth and Women of the party are instilled with the values, principles, philosophies and ideologies of the Party so that no vacuum would be created when the elders retire."

The conference ended Sunday with a rally. Some of the presidential candidates who participated in the events were Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Boakye Agyarko, Dan Botwe, Alan Kyerematen, Mike Oquaye, Kofi Konadu Apraku, and Papa Owusu-Ankomah.