NPP Flagbearer race: Dr Akoto Afriyie cautions against manipulations, favouritism

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, an aspiring presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called on the Presidential Election Committee to ensure transparency and fairness in the NPP presidential primary scheduled for November 4, 2023.

Speaking in an interview at his office in Ridge, Accra, he emphasized the importance of conducting a fair and transparent election to safeguard the unity of the party as it heads into the 2024 general elections.

Dr. Akoto expressed concern that any perception of favoritism or lack of a level-playing field in the upcoming primary could pose challenges to uniting the party against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the general elections.

He urged the committee to be forward-looking and prioritize the party’s unity as they conduct the primaries.

With only a few days remaining before the November 4 poll, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture has intensified his strategic campaign efforts, engaging with grassroots delegates of the party.

He has been meeting with Electoral Area Coordinators and selected Polling Station Executives who are part of his campaign team.

Dr. Akoto’s campaign has taken him through various regions of Ghana, including Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo, where he has been presenting his vision for sustainable party-owned businesses aimed at creating jobs and offering incentives to the party’s activists.

He stressed that the party’s victory in the 2024 elections depends on the hard work and dedication of these activists.

Dr. Akoto, a Cambridge University Scholar, has been resonating with delegates, emphasizing that they deserve a leader who understands their challenges and can provide effective solutions.

He called on delegates to give him the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership qualities.

He expressed sadness over the current state of the party and received applause from delegates in the Bono Region.

The NPP’s National Delegates Conference on November 4, 2023, will see over 210,000 delegates cast their votes to select the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections.

Dr. Akoto is listed as number 3 on the ballot paper, having placed 4th in the Super Delegates Conference held on August 26, 2023.

The NPP anticipates a highly contested and crucial decision during the upcoming primaries.