NPP Presidential aspirants urged to unite behind elected candidate

Tamale, Nov. 5, GNA- Nana Akufo-Addo, a presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged his colleagues contesting for the flagbearership of the party to all rally behind the elected candidate on December 22.

He said the NPP had a rich tradition of open democratic transparency, which frowned on the imposition of leaders and allowed everybody to contest for any position in the party.

Nana Akufo-Addo said this when he addressed a crowd of supporters and delegates of the party in the Northern Region in Tamale on Friday. He said the important thing, after December 22 was for all the defeated candidates to unite behind the elected leader and give him all the necessary support to campaign to win the 2008 general elections for the party to retain power.

He asked the presidential aspirants not to forget the lesson of 1979 when the party leadership let petty squabbles to destroy their front and thereby giving power on a silver party to the less known Peoples National Party (PNP).

He also reminded them of rumours in 2004 to the effect that he (Nana), would break away and form a new party should he fail to be elected as the party's presidential candidate.

"I was the first person when Kufuor was elected to mount the dais to congratulate him and pledge my support to him", he said and added that come December 22, "loosing candidates must fall in line and work in unity with the elected leader".

Talking about rumours and campaign smears against him to the effect that he was arrogant and disrespectful, Nana Akufo-Addo said: " Of all that is said against me the only thing which is true is that I hate injustice".

He explained that if this was what was termed as arrogance then he was at a loss because those now citing that as arrogance were the same people who some time back in the history of this country when he risked his life to fight injustice described him as brave and courageous.

Nana Akufo-Addo told the party delegates that the December 22 Congress was not about only electing the party's leader but more importantly about electing someone with that "elusive and intangible" quality called leadership.

He said that quality was not about one's performance in a ministerial position, it was about managing the entity called Ghana and this demanded someone with vision, international exposure and the ability to inspire and carry others along to achieve that vision.

He said the NPP also needed a leader like him who was a true breed Danquah/Busia, a man of the party who knew its traditions and had sacrificed, worked tirelessly and invested to build upon. 05 Nov. 07