PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY NPP GENERAL SECRETARY (AG), JOHN BOADU ON THE PARTY’S PREPARATIONS TOWARDS AN EXTRAORDINARY NATIONAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE AND RELATED MATTERS
INTRODUCTION
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press
We wish to begin by extending the party’s gratitude to all the people that played diverse roles towards the REMARKABLE SUCCESS we chalked at the last national annual delegates conference in Cape Coast. The party is particularly thankful to His Excellency the President and Vice as well as government appointees who graced the occasion despite their busy schedules. We also thank His Excellency former President Kufour for his words of wisdom and admonition. The NPP is again appreciative of the F.F Antoh-led planning committee, our invitees including members of the Diplomatic Corps, opposition political parties, our religious leaders, the media and more importantly, the hundreds and thousands of party delegates and sympathizers within and outside the country that made it to the conference and contributed to this historic feat.
Also, the National Council of the party, at its 4th general meeting which was held yesterday at Alisa Hotel, noted with delight, how members of the party who are aspiring for various positions in the upcoming primaries, adhered strictly to the orders it gave regarding the display of campaign posters or banners at the just ended national delegates’ conference. Not only did the prospective candidates obey the decision of the Council, but they were also able to reign in on their overzealous supporters who would have otherwise turned the conference ground into one of campaign. In view of this, national council wishes to applaud them for their complete submission and obedience for the love of the party and looks forward to receiving more of such cooperation.
BACKGROUND
You would recall that the NPP, on the 26th of August, 2017, held its national annual delegates conference at the University of Cape Coast pursuant to Article 9 of the party constitution. The conference, among other things, considered the various proposals for constitutional amendments which were received from party members and made available to all stakeholders, at least one month to the national delegates’ conference in fulfillment of Article 18 of the NPP constitution. However, conference could not adopt the amendment proposals or otherwise in view of the limited time available to deal with the ‘bulky document’.
Accordingly, conference, which is the highest decision making body of the party, passed a RESOLUTION instructing National Council to set up a n ad-hoc committee to streamline these amendment proposals together with other relevant considerations and present their report to conference at an extraordinary national delegates’ conference to be organized at a later date. Following from this, National Council indeed met yesterday, September 13 at Alisa Hotel and approved the said special committee that would undertake this all-important assignment for the party.
INAUGURATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS COMMITTEE
Today, we have met here, to, inter alia, officially inaugurate the ad-hoc committee that was formed by National Council at its 4th general meeting following the orders of national conference. The committee’s mandate, as noted earlier, is to streamline all the proposals for constitutional amendments and by that, determine the “substance and workability” of each proposal and present their report, which shall be in the form of a draft constitution to national conference, through national council for consideration and adoption.
The committee has a membership of 11 and would be chaired by F.F. Antoh, the national vice chairman of the party. Other members of this special committee include;
Hon. O.B. Amoah - Secretary Joyce O. Boateng - Member Hon. Joseph Dindiok Kpemka - Member Godfred Yeboah Dame - Member Hackman Owusu Agyemang - Member Hon. Ben Abdalla - Member Mrs. Agnes Okudzeto - Member Mr. Antwi Adjei - Member Richard Asante Yeboah - Member Mrs. Joyce Agyemang Attafour - Member
You would see clearly that the committee comprises people who have rich knowledge and experience in party organization and more importantly, on legal matters since these considerations are very critical to their work. That is why you find the two learned A-Gs as part of the committee together with the likes of Hackman Owusu Agyemang and F.F Antoh among others.
Per the resolution of national conference, this ad-hoc committee has two months within which to present its final report to the party. What it means is that, the committee is supposed to present its report to the General Secretary not later than November 15. National Council, yesterday, resolved that two weeks after the receipt of the committee’s report, it shall reconvene to consider same and then two weeks afterwards, an extraordinary national delegates conference would be organized solely for the purpose of considering and adopting the report (draft constitution) of the committee. All things being equal, we are looking at having this extraordinary conference sometime in the mid of December.
Having said that, I have the singular honour, at this juncture, to declare the committee, duly INAUGURATED. The party has absolute confidence in these illustrious people who were carefully selected to be part of the committee that would do this all-important exercise for the party. We wish them the very best.
APPOINTMENT OF ACTING NATIONAL WOMEN ORGANIZER
National Council, at its meeting, yesterday, 14th September, 2017, UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED the nomination of Hajia Saudatu Saeed as the acting national women organizer of the party. She was nominated by the party’s Steering Committee for the consideration of the National Council. Hajia Saudatu, until her appointment, was the deputy national women organizer of the party. This appointment has become necessary following the resignation of the party’s national women organizer, Hon. Otiko Afisa to take up appointment in government as Minister for Gender and Social Protection. Council would consider and approve other vacant national positions at its next general meeting.
FULFILLMENT OF OUR CAMPAIGN PROMISES
The party has taken due cognizance of the fact that the government of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and His Excellency Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is very much on course to delivering on all the electoral promises we made to the good people of this country in the run-up to the 2016 general elections. Even though, the government has a 4-year mandate within which to deliver all the things we promised, it appears we are fulfilling almost all our campaign promises in our first year in government. It is pretty obvious that we cannot finish enumerating all the promises that we have fulfilled so far in the last 8 months of being in government and so, we won’t start at all.
It is however very instructive to make the point that this month of September 2017 would surely be written in the annals of Ghana’s history as the month of fulfillment and prosperity for the Ghanaian people. The September narrative, as you would all bear testimony, has been one of fulfilled promises. It started with the implementation of a paperless technology at the nation’s ports which makes it easier and convenient for people to clear their goods from the ports due to the digitization of the clearance regime and removal of human element. This laudable policy also makes it possible for government to plug the loopholes in our revenue collection system at the ports as evidenced in the available data which shows for instance that, revenue at the port has increased from GHc130 million in the first week of September 2016, to GHc213 million in the same period for 2017 representing a whopping 56% revenue improvement for the State.
Again, the government’s flagship campaign promise, dubbed, 1-Ditrict-1-Factory has successfully taken off in this month of September with the historic launch at Ekumfi in the Central Region. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, the much talked about free SHS, which the NPP, particularly, our 2016 presidential candidate, Nana Akufu-Addo has been associated with, has come to fruition despite all the bastardization and cynicism from our political opponents. These cynics, particularly Lee Ocran, former Education Minister told us that if free SHS was ever possible in Ghana, Dr. Kwame would have implemented it. Well, facts are that, as you all know, it didn’t happen under President Nkrumah but it is happening live under His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP.
The NPP has clearly shown, both in words and in deeds, that our unwavering commitment to investing in the future of our country through EDUCATION, cannot be matched. The records are there for all to see. This free SHS promise, again, has been realized in the month of September. What a blessed month! That is not all, the month of September is also going to witness the full realization of more flagship programmes of the NPP government including the implementation of teacher trainee allowance as well as the nursing trainee allowance among several others. The party is very much contend with these developments and wishes to commend government for living up to the legitimate expectation of the Ghanaian people. Indeed, the way for Ghana, has always been the NPP way.
CONCLUSION
We wish to conclude by once again expressing confidence in the ability of the Akufo-Addo government to deliver the needed prosperity to the Ghanaian people. So far, as all would attest to, is so good. Again, we are confident that the extraordinary national delegates’ conference would end successfully.
Thank you.
