Dr Afriyie Akoto
A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has urged party delegates to build a strong, formidable and united front in order to win the 2024 general elections.
Speaking during a campaign tour in the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Afriyie Akoto said, presently, the party is riding on a limping leg due to the level of apathy within the rank and file of the party.
He visited the Shai-Osudoku, Ningo-Prampram, Ashaiman, Domeabra-Obom, Ayawaso East and Ayawaso West North constituencies.
According to him, it is evident that all is not well with the party at the moment as there have been several complains by the party people of not reaping the benefits of their efforts to bring the party into the power in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.
He, therefore, assured them that he will work tirelessly to address all their concerns, and build a formidable front in order to win the 2024 elections should he be elected as the flagbearer of the NPP.
Instrumentality of executives
The presidential hopeful indicated that due to the hard work of the Polling Station executives and Electoral Area Coordinators as well the constituency executives, among others, President Akufo-Addo won the 2016 presidential elections with more than 1.5million votes.
“In the parliamentary elections, we won 167 seats out of the 275 seats. Was the story the same in 2020? In the presidential elections, our numbers dropped and in the parliamentary elections, we lost 32 seats. This should send a signal that we need a new direction and focus as a party”, he noted.
He added: “When I became the Minister of Food and Agriculture, I decided to visit all the 16 regions every year to see if how the programme and policies the Ministry is implementing is impacting on the lives of the people except 2020 during the outbreak of the COVID-19. During those times, every region I visited, I found time to interact with party faithful if all was well with them”.
He admitted that what he heard wasn’t pleasant at all, saying “Almost everybody is crying that they have been abandoned; they don’t have any work to do, they are starving, their children are not able to go to school. We can’t go into the 2024 general elections with this situation we find ourselves in”.
Formidable front
Dr. Afriyie Akoto also said the current state of the party is not the best to enter into the 2024 general elections with, underscoring the importance of building a strong and formidable united front to break the eight-year governance cycle.
Determined to change the situation, he assured the delegates that he will endeavour to explore options to address all their welfare concerns when the give him the nod to be the party’s flagbearer for the 2024 general elections.
“I am pleading with you not to despair but to keep hope alive. A vote for Dr. Afriyie Akoto will ensure that things are changed for the better. Your welfare has always been my topmost priority and will continue to be when you vote for me as flagbearer of the NPP,” he underscored.
