President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the Executives and members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bury their differences and remain united towards a common cause to retain political power in the 2024 Election.
He said the Party would not accept and tolerate any kind of backsliding and bickering that often disrupt its forward match to victory.
Speaking at the NPP’s 29th Anniversary in Accra on Thursday, President Akufo-Addo expressed optimism that the next presidential candidate of the Party would emerge victorious in the 2024 Election.
He said the Party, over the years, was dedicated towards advancing the ideals and values of the country’s democracy and should work towards consolidating the gains made so far.
The NPP received its certificate of incorporation as a political party on Wednesday, July 28, 1992 from the Electoral Commission.
The event was held on the theme:” NPP@29: A Tradition for Stability, Prosperity and Continuity,” which attracted party bigwigs including the Chairperson of the Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu Agyeman, Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, National Chairman of the Party, Freddie Blay, General Secretary, John Boadu, National Organiser, Sammi Awuku, members of Parliament and ministers of state, as well as supporters and sympathizers of the elephant family.
President Akufo-Addo recalled the difficulties the Founding Fathers of the Party endured in establishing it as a formidable political force in the country.
“Today, the challenges that confront our country, the difficulties that we have been plunged into by the COVID-19 pandemic are going to give us the opportunity to grow stronger and stronger and that strengthening of our party and its organs means one thing.
“And I am very confident of it that on December 7, 2024, the new NPP presidential candidate is going to win the election,” he stated.
The President urged the party to close its rank and file and remain united for victory in the next general election.
“Our objective and responsibility are to do whatever is necessary to make sure that, that victory is forthcoming. We have to continue our way forward in Ghana. We cannot continue to accept the backsliding that takes place every now and then.
“It hasn’t benefited our nation and will not benefit our nation. The foundations that we are laying today for the prosperity of our nation will be shaken if again through our own fault we allow the path of progress to be diverted,” President Akufo-Addo advised.
Freddie Blay, the NPP National Chairman, in his welcome remarks, entreated the party faithful to prioritize party unity over parochial interests, especially as it prepares for its internal elections.
He urged party members to prioritize unity to help achieve its objective of retaining power in 2024.
“I want to charge the members of the party to prioritize unity over parochial interest. This is the only way that we will still be on top of government and our contract with the people of Ghana in terms of its development.
“This is the only party that can deliver that, and we must keep it so, and we must be very united irrespective of our own personal interests,” he added.
Mr John Boadu, the General-Secretary, NPP, recounted some landmark policies and programmes the Party had implemented over the years that had transformed lives.
He mentioned the School Feeding Programme, Livelihoods Empowerment Programme Against Poverty, National Health Insurance Scheme, Free Senior High School Policy, Mobile Money Interoperability Payment System, Digital and Property Addressing System, Paperless Port System, National Identification System, Planting for Food and Jobs, One-District, One-Factory; One-Ambulance, One-Constituency and many other social interventions that had alleviated poverty.
Mr Boadu said despite being a Centre-Right political party tradition that believed in private enterprise, it had implemented more social intervention programmes than any political party in Ghana.
He acknowledged the contributions of the Party’s founding fathers and stalwarts who made immense sacrifices towards sustaining its political tradition that takes its root from the United Gold Coast Convention, United Front Party, National Liberation Party, Progress Party and Northern People’s Party.
The Party, since its formation in 1992, has won four presidential elections upon resumption of multi-party democracy in Ghana including 2000,2004, 2016 and 2020 polls.
GNA