Ensure massive registration, Akufo-Addo tasks NPP supporters

Tarkwa (/R) Jan. 12, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flagbearer, New Patriotic Party (NPP) yesterday visited Tarkwa with his thanksgiving tour of the nation after his election as flagbearer of the Party.

He was accompanied by some of the failed NPP Presidential aspirants, including Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Papa Owusu Ankomah, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, Mr. Dan Botwe, Prof. Mike Oquaye and Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary, NPP and Mr. Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman, NPP.

The entourage was welcomed with a brass band procession through some principal streets of Tarkwa and ended at the forecourt of the Community Centre where they took turn to address a large gathering of people including party executives drawn from all the 22 constituencies in the Western Region.

Nana Akufo-Addo thanked those who did and did not vote for him and promised to work in concert with everybody to continue the foundation laid by President John Agyekum Kufuor.

He said with the strong unity in NPP, no party can match its strength, saying many were those who predicted division among the ranks of the party but aftermath of the party, NPP has exhibited a sense of maturity and a strong bond of family relationship and unity in the party. The NPP Flagbearer said in March this year Voters Register would be opened and entreated the constituency organisers, polling station chairmen and indeed all the supporters to convince those who have attained 18 years to go and register.

He said, if the register was full of NPP supporters names would give the Party 'one touch' win in 2008 Parliamentary and Presidential elections. Nana Akufo-Addo said he would bridge the gap between the party and the government and that task force would be set up to draw guidelines of the relations between the party and the government. He said with the implementation of the guidelines one would realise that the Party and the Government are bedfellows. He said it was only NPP that could uphold the dignity of Ghanaian and sustain democracy in Ghana and with the unity in the party, 2008 elections was a foregone conclusion.

Mr. Mac Manu said every party has its values and beliefs and that of NPP is democracy, adding because National DemocraticCongress (NDC) was a brainchild of coup d' etat, the party thrives on violence. He appealed to Ghanaians to remain loyal and vote for the party to help protect the democracy which would prevent NDC from winning.

Mr. Mac Manu denied vote rigging in 2008, saying, Professor John Evans Atta Mills who disclosed this has carried his weight and had known that he cannot withstand Nana Akufo Addo, describing his disclosure as defeatist.

Dr. Apraku told NDC not to put fear in the electorate because it was not performing, rather it should prove to the people that it can do the job.

He said the election would be peaceful. Almost all the speakers condemned Prof. Mills's prediction that the election would be rigged to trigger chaos. Nana Akufo-Addo had earlier visited Sunyani, Wa,Tamale and Kumasi.