Bismark Bebli
20 August 2008
THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) has embarked upon membership drive to win the 2008 general elections.
In its attempt to garner more votes, it has inaugurated the Patriotic Ladies Group, which is to undertake mobilization of market queens and women to join the political wagon of the NPP.
At the inauguration, the national campaign Director of the NPP, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, urged the rank and file of the party members not to be complacent in the upcoming general elections.
He said the NPP could have massively won in the 2004 elections, but it garnered only 52% of the total votes cast due to complacency on the part of party members.
"We did not win 2004 massively because we were so complacent. So many things went wrong. I am saying today that we need to be very meticulous because this race is very competitive. We have our achievements to tell the people and we must tell our success story. In 2000, we were not in government so we had nothing to talk about except to make promises, but today we are in government and have achieved a lot," he said.
The campaign director made this observation and others on Wednesday when he inaugurated the NPP's Patriotic Ladies Group, which has the main aim of canvassing for more votes from house to house for the party.
Dr. Konadu Apraku, who was supported by Mr. Harry Owusu, the Revenue Agencies Board boss, who served as the chairman for the occasion, Hon. Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, MP for Asuogyaman and Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, and Nana Fredua Agyeman, expressed disgust over the short memories of Ghanaians.
According to him, as a result of this, the NPP party members have a duty to trumpet the gains and achievements of the NPP on one-on-one basis, from house to house, to the electorates, so as to enable them retain NPP in power.
Dismissing the allegations of rigging by the NPP from the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Konadu Apraku said on the contrary the NPP does not believe in rigging.
"In 2000, we worked very hard with our intention to get Mr. Rawlings and his group out of office. We worked harder as if we were at war. It therefore does not make sense that we would rig the elections," he said.
The National campaign Director, who donated GH¢ 3,000 to the Patriotic Ladies group, was confident that the NPP will retain power based on its solid track record and achievements, having served the nation for the past 8 years.
On the huge crowds that the party attracts to their rallies, Dr. Kofi Konadu said, ideally the huge turnouts was very good, but it was not determinant of who will win the elections.
He noted that some people come to the rallies not necessarily as serious voters but to come and make friends. He therefore urged the newly formed group to intensify their house to house campaign across the nation for more votes.
Praising the group and its members for taking the bold decision to campaign for the NPP, he said the campaign team would do everything to provide them with a vehicle to enable them execute their plan for the party.
He said, currently the party has presented 140 pick-ups to various constituencies with another 100 pick-ups yet to be distributed. According to him, with the vim, dedication and commitment of the women group to join the campaign team of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then victory beckons the NPP.
On his part, Mr. Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, strongly asserted that if the NDC had done enough before the NPP assumed governance, the development of Ghana would have by now reached it peak.
According to him, the NPP Patriotic Ladies group had come at the opportune time and urged the leadership of the group to extend their campagn across the nation.
He promised to contribute his quota towards the progress of the group. He however, recounted the difficulties under the PNDC regime and prevailed upon the women to work hard to return the NPP to power. He advised Ghanaians not to give power to the NDC again, since that will mean sending the nation back into its dark days.
Mr. Harry Owusu, the chairman for the occasion also recounted how he and Hon. Yaw Osarfo Maafo suffered in the hands of the NDC when they were working with the National Investment Bank (NIB), on the basis that they were affiliated to the NPP. Describing the 2008 elections as the 'battle royal', he implored all the party members to fight hard for the party to win the elections.
According to him, the margin of vote to be won in the 2008 election must be huge so that the NDC would not have any reason to complain about their defeat.
The President of the association, Mrs. Mabel Sarpong said one of the cardinal points of the association was to canvass for more support for the NPP, to enable it win the elections.
According to her, threatening comments and statements from some leading members of the NDC were signs of desperation on their part and the NPP should not stop at consolidating the power it has.
She noted that with this conviction, the group has embarked on an intensive membership drive to recruit more members for the party.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
