"We don't need a trial and error candidate" - Papa Owusu Ankomah

Member of Parliament for Sekondi and former high profile Minister in the Kufuor administration, Papa Owusu Ankomah, has admonished delegates of the New Patriotic Party not to elect a “trial and error presidential candidate” when they go to the polls on Saturday to elect a presidential candidate for the Party ahead of the 2016 election.

“I appeal to you to be minded of the fact that the exercise we are going to undertake on Saturday is not one of trial and error. We don’t need a trial and error presidential candidate. You need a candidate who has proven himself over time, that he is not only a candidate, but also a good leader for the party and for the nation.”

The Sekondi MP made this known when he addressed a rally of polling station executives at the Effiakuma Police Park in the Effia constituency, when Nana Akufo-Addo rounded off his campaign tour of the Western Region on Tuesday, October 14, where he met delegates from Effia, Sekondi, Kweisimintsim, Essikadu Ketan, Ahanta West and Takoradi constituencies. This followed Nana Addo’s afternoon meeting at Daboase, where he met delegates from Shama, Mpohor and Wassa East constituencies.

Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah explained to the delegates gathered that “as a leader, you need to listen to the ground, because most often than not the voice of the people is the voice of God. What the people of this country are saying is that they did trial and error in 2012 and elected a trial and error President. But now, they want a leader who is tried and tested and has proven himself, and that person, amongst all those who are contesting, is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”

According to Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah, his endorsement of Nana Akufo-Addo is premised on the fact that the NPP needs a flagbearer who will, firstly, win the 2016 elections and then work for Ghana.

“We have to elect someone who is loyal, puts the interest of the party first and thinks of Ghana ahead of his own self. Secondly, we need to elect someone who has demonstrated throughout all facets of his life that he has the knowledge to lead this country. We need someone who will be able to turn this country around, to better our lives and give our children a bright future. That person is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” the Sekondi MP stated.

He continued, “I say this because he is someone I have worked with in government and in the NPP for a very long time. If we vote for Akufo-Addo to become presidential candidate of the NPP on Saturday, it is a vote for us, as NPP members, and a vote which will indicate to all Ghanaians and the world at large that the NPP is of one mind and with hard work is going to make sure that Nana Akufo-Addo becomes President of Ghana.”

He appealed to the 140,000 plus delegates of the party to surpass the 80.81% vote cast for Nana Akufo-Addo by members of the Special Electoral College on August 31.

“Come Saturday, we will vote overwhelmingly for Nana Akufo-Addo, and the message we will send, by this, to the NDC and Ghanaians is that the NPP wants power in January 2017,” he concluded.