President Nana Akufo-Addo went into raptures Saturday recognising the sacrifices made by outgoing executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to deliver victory for the party.
Addressing party delegates at the Koforidua Technical University prior to the commencement of voting to elect new leaders for the governing party, the President heaped praises on the acting executive for accepting the responsibility to lead the party, at the time when key leaders had been suspended for flouting party regulations.
Their hard work the President noted, saw the party in opposition defeat the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in both the presidential and parliamentary elections held on December 7, 2016.
“To all our outgoing national executives, Ellembele Blay Freddie Blay, Frederick Fredua Antoh, John Boadu, Sammi Awuku, Otiko Afisa Djaba, Kwabena Abankwah Yeboah and Kamal Deen Abdulai, I say a big ayekoo. Well done.
“Your names are written in letters of gold in the annals of our Party, and I will never cease to praise you for your stalwart defence of the interests of the NPP in its moment of peril,” President Akufo-Addo said.
The NPP had to suspend three of its substantive officers namely; National Chairman, Paul Afoko; General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong and Vice Chair, Sammy Crabbe for various disciplinary offences with just a year into the crucial 2016 polls.
Their removal from office saw the NDC question the capabilities of the NPP to lead the nation when it could not handle internal matters.
On the contrary, Ghanaians handed the NPP a resounding victory in the 2016 elections despite the internal party wranglings.
President Akufo-Addo commended the leadership for rising to the challenge, “kept their focus, fostered unity amongst us, and helped lead us to a famous, historic victory, a victory that has brought us back to office to give us the opportunity to implement our age-old programme of transformation and development.”
“We thank them profusely for their service to the Party and to the Nation,” he acknowledged.