William Dankwah
Former National Coordinator of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Secretariat under the Akufo-Addo–led government, William Darkwah has called for unity within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the party conducts its internal election.
Speaking after visiting the polling centre Mr. Darkwah said the exercise had been peaceful and well organised.
“I have been here this morning and everything is going on smoothly. We are grateful for the presence of the Ghana Police Service. Even though their presence appears substantial, it is better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
He commended the police for maintaining law and order and also praised delegates for their calm and orderly conduct, noting that the process had so far been free of incidents.
Mr. Darkwah, who is a member of Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum’s campaign team, expressed optimism that the former Education Minister would emerge as the eventual winner of the contest.
“I expect that Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum will win because of the good work he did while serving as Education Minister and the vision he has for the country and the party,” he stated.
According to him, many delegates he interacted with were enthusiastic about Dr. Adutwum’s candidature.
“I have spoken to a lot of delegates, and they are excited about electing him as the flagbearer,” he added.
Mr. Darkwah further indicated that Dr. Adutwum’s conduct during the campaign had demonstrated his ability to unite the party.
“When Dr. Adutwum is elected, it will be easy for him to consolidate the party’s base and bring everyone on board because throughout the campaign he did not speak against any of the aspirants,” he explained.
Describing the election as an internal family exercise, Mr. Darkwah stressed the importance of maintaining peace and unity within the NPP.
“This is an in-house exercise. We are one family. There may be words said that are not right, but after everything is over, the Elephant family will come together as one,” he said.
He noted that the real contest lies outside the party, not within it.
“The bigger battle is not among ourselves. The bigger battle is against the party in power now, the National Democratic Congress (NDC),” he emphasised.
Mr. Darkwah expressed confidence that after the primaries, party members would rally behind the eventual winner to reclaim political power.
“There may be minor skirmishes during the process, but when it is over, we will all unite behind our leader to win power and put the country in the right order,” he concluded.
He added that the New Patriotic Party remains the political party best positioned to transform the fortunes of Ghana.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi