Former Minister of Trade and Industry in the Kufuor administration, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, has declared his intention to contest for the upcoming Presidential Primary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) when the party opens nominations.
According to Dr. Apraku, he stands very tall amongst all the aspirants vying for the party’s presidential race, therefore he believes that the delegates will give him the nod to become the party flagbearer.
Addressing a section of journalists in Accra, to announce his presidential bid, he said he is the best person to lead the party on the flagbearership ticket in the run-up to the 2024 polls.
The former Minister was part of the seventeen 17 aspirants who contested the flagbearership of NPP in 2007 but polled 19 votes.
Dr. Apraku expressed confidence that his experience places him in a higher position to win the party’s presidential race which will catapult him to leading the country.
Dr Apraku, said since people in the NPP have presidential ambitions, he also has presidential ambitions adding that “everybody wants to be a leader in whatever it is that they do and I do have presidential ambitions, maybe I have not been so forthright as others, partly because of the work that I do”.
Dr. Apraku further stated that, “I’m confident that my old experience is what is prevailing. I have a lot of experience, I think I’m in a better position than ever before to win this election and lead this country. I stand very tall amongst all the aspirants, my experience is overwhelming. I have practical experience in managing economies, and dealing with current problems. Furthermore, I believe I have a better chance than anybody in this race to win. The taste of the pudding is in the eating”.
Asked if NPP delegates will this time round vote massively for him, the former Offinso North Member of Parliament underscored, “there is time for everything, you may also recall that the first time I went, I was number three. I did far better than in the last instance. Well times are different now, and I have been around the country, I have been to fourteen 14, out of the sixteen 16 regions in our country”.
Profile of Konadu Apraku
Kofi Konadu Apraku was Minister for Regional Cooperation and NEPAD in John Kufuor’s administration from 2003 to 2006. He also served as the Minister of Trade and Industry under Kufuor from 2001 to 2003.
In the year 2008, he was appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers as ECOWAS Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research.
Dr. Apraku was first voted into Parliament on January 7, 1997, to represent his constituency.
He polled 10,456 votes out of the 21,428 valid votes cast representing 37.80%.
He contested against Nana Oduro-Baah, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) aspirant who polled 10,257 votes representing 37.10%, Manu Yaw Joseph, PNC aspirant who polled 358 votes representing 1.30% and Emmanuel Kwame Boakye an IND aspirant who also polled 357 votes representing 1.30%.
He was re-elected on January 7, 2001, after he emerged winner during the 2000 general elections and polled 13,160 votes out of the 21,543 valid votes cast representing 61.00%.
He was again re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Offinso North Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the 2004 general elections with a total vote of 13,389 representing 50.30% of the total votes cast.
The Commissioner in the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) for Macroeconomic Policy, joins the league of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Trade Minister, Kwadwo Alan Kyerematen and the former Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
-BY Daniel Bampoe