President Akufo-Addo interacting with Freddie Blay (2nd left), Chairman, NPP, while Vice-President Dr Bawumia looks on
PRESIDENT NANA Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the volume of work and campaign promises he has fulfilled in his first term will secure him another four-year term in office.
Speaking at the national annual delegates’ conference of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) held at the Trade Fair site in Accra yesterday, the President said he considered the 2020 elections as a straight fight between him and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama.
Speaking under the theme: “We Have Performed Better; 4 More To Do More”, President Akufo-Addo said even though he was not complacent about the upcoming elections, he was sure of victory because Ghanaians would compare the records of his administration which has registered significant achievements for the economy such as low inflation rate, stabilisation of the cedi against the world’s major trading currencies, low interest rate and a host of other economic indices.
According to him, the erstwhile Mahama-led NDC government and its abysmal performance literally sent the economy of Ghana on its knees.
“Our opponents don’t have any record to come and defend; Ghanaians have already rejected them. Let us stay together and work hard. I am very confident that by December 2020, the EC would declare the NPP victorious,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the rank and file of the party to stay united, work hard and take the message of hope and development to every Ghanaian in the country.
The President further urged party members to stay united and eschew tendencies that would divide their ranks going into the election of party parliamentary candidates next April.
He said there was the utmost need that that contest was held in a peaceful, sensible and serene manner because the whole country would be looking at the NPP.
Whilst he was certain that the April parliamentary primaries would produce both winners and losers, he stressed the need for the party and its members not to make it rancorous and bitter to divide the party, but instead stay united with a common goal and ambition to keep the NDC in opposition.
In all, more than 6,500 delegates drawn from across the country attended the conference.
Vice-President Message
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia also gave an indication that the ruling NPP was ready to ensure a massive second term victory for President Akufo-Addo.
The Vice-President indicated that available records suggested that the NPP government had performed better than all previous NDC administrations hence the need to ensure the party stayed in power for some more years.
He stated that guided by the retrogressive state the country witnessed, post the 2008 general elections, the NPP had no reason to fail Ghanaians this time.
Listing some achievements of the party, the Vice-President indicated that available data at the disposal of the government suggested that the government, within its three years in government, had achieved 72 per cent of its manifesto promises.
That, he stated, was unprecedented in the Fourth Republic. He said the NPP, anytime it was in power, had proven to be better managers of the economy than its opponents. He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to give the President some “four more years to do more”.
He indicated that, for instance, on exchange rate, the current government had performed better than all previous NDC governments coming only second to the first term of the erstwhile Kufuor NPP administration.
“The average exchange rate depreciation on a yearly basis suggests that we have done 8.7 per cent as against the NDC’s 18 per cent. On the exchange rate, we have performed better,” the Vice-President said.
He further stated that on electricity tariff, the NPP government on the average had reduced tariff by about 10 per cent since it took power, saying “the NDC must be joking to think that it can perform better than us.”
He outlined other achievements of the government, challenging the NDC members to point to a single social intervention policy that they can boast of.
Conference
On Sunday, three major activities were held to climax the conference.
A special Sunday church service in the morning, and the main delegates’ conference before climaxing the whole conference with a mega rally at the forecourt of the Trade Fair Centre.
A special report was read by former President John Agyekum Kufuor on behalf of the party’s Council of Elders.
The Treasurer of the party, Abankwa Yeboah, also read the party’s financial statement to the over 6,500 delegates that were drawn from across all the 275 constituencies in Ghana, as well as the party’s special branches and wings such as the external branches, students wing, youth and women wing.
The party’s General Secretary, John Boadu, also used the occasion to give the annual report of the party per the dictates of the party’s constitution, highlighting some key achievements of the party for the past one year.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu & Nana Kwasi