President Nana Akufo-Addo has called on the rank-and-file of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to support him to achieve the “last great political feat” of his political career by winning the 2024 general election convincingly and handing over to an NPP-elected President.
“I want you to help me achieve the last great political feat of my career in Ghanaian politics — that on January 7, 2025, I will go to the Black Star Square and hand over the mantle of leadership to the next NPP-elected President,” he told the party faithful.
The President made the call at a national thanksgiving service at the Dr Kofi Ohene Konadu Auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, yesterday to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of the NPP.
He indicated that one of the major goals of the NPP was to ensure that the party was retained in the 2024 elections to continue with its good works, declaring: “Victory in 2024; that’s our goal, that’s our task; and by the Grace of God we will achieve that.”
Colour
The event was on the theme: “NPP@30: Our shared tradition: Holding and working together a stable and prosperous nation”.
The colourful service at the fully packed auditorium attracted NPP bigwigs and other members of the party, all draped in bright and white apparel to suit the occasion.
The dignitaries included party elders, Ministers of State, Members of Parliament (MPs), metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) and national, regional and constituency executives.
Gospel musicians, including Diana Asamoah, the Tagoe Sisters, Obaapa Christy and Nicholas Omane Acheampong, as well as the Present King Youth Choir, spiced up the programme with sumptuous performances.
As the musicians took turns to perform danceable Gospel tunes, it electrified the auditorium, with some in the congregation joining in the dancing.
Intercessory prayers were said for the party, the government and the nation as a whole.
Dominant political force
The President observed that since the return to constitutional rule in the Fourth Republic, the NPP had presented itself as the most dominant force in Ghanaian politics.
That, he said, had been made possible by what he described as “a culture of sacrifice, commitment and fidelity to firm up its core values”.
He said the party had belief in the principles of democratic accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law, economic freedom and social justice, saying those values had stood the test of time and must continue to guide the party’s actions now and in the future.
Heroes, heroines
President Akufo-Addo noted that the 30th anniversary was particularly relevant because “it should serve as a moment of remembrance of the men and the women who founded the party and who have gone to meet their Maker”.
He paid glowing tributes to the NPP’s founding fathers, such as Bernard Joao da Rocha, Peter Ala Adjetey, Prof. Albert Adu Boahen, Dr J.A. Addison and C.K.Tedam, and called for the observance of a minute’s silence in their memory.
The President also remembered the late Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, as well as other departed leading members of the party, including Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, Theresa Amerley Tagoe, Agnes Okudzeto, Courage Quashigah, Joseph Agyenim Boateng and Stephen Krakue.
“These and many others, both living and dead, who dedicated their lives to advancing the cause of this party cannot and will not be forgotten,” he stressed.
Kufuor trailblazer
Similarly, he praised former President John Agyekum Kufuor as the trailblazer who led the party to its first electoral victory in the Fourth Republic.
“We remember the history and founders of our Dankwa-Dombo-Busia political tradition, the greatest, noblest and most enduring tradition in Ghanaian politics,” he intimated.
Leadership, difficult times
President Akufo-Addo explained that the NPP, based on its strong ideals and core values, had provided national leadership that dealt with “difficult phases of our national life that led to an era when the country was declared a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC)”.
Currently, he noted, the NPP leadership was steering affairs of the country at a difficult time when the world was dealing with the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Nevertheless, he assured Ghanaians that the government would continue to provide the needed leadership to effectively steer the country out of the current global and domestic economic challenges.
“We thus celebrate our progress by remaining united and resolute as we continue to prosecute our historic agenda to provide good governance and economic development for our nation,” he said.
He entreated members of the party to continue to commit to the protection of God, whose grace and favour were constantly sought.
Unity, ideals
Both the National Chairman and the General Secretary of the party, Stephen Ayesu Ntim and Justin Frimpong Kodua, respectively, appealed to party faithful to always strive to unite and bury their differences in order not to undermine what the founding fathers stood for.
In a sermon, a former General Secretary of Christ Apostolic Church International, Apostle Dr Emmanuel Osei Kwabena Donkor, entreated the rank and file of the party to shun disunity, individualism and parochial interests.