The running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, says the country needs an urgent reset to address current national developmental issues as the NDC marked its 32nd anniversary with a flag-raising ceremony in Accra.
She said the current trend where one political group came to clean and another came to destroy had dealt a severe blow to the country’s progress.
“The country will have to be reset so that we stop this back and forth. If one group comes to clean and another comes to destroy, how can we make progress as a country?” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang asked at Monday’s ceremony.
The event at the party’s headquarters was attended by party supporters, National Executive Committee members and members of the party’s Council of Elders.
Notable among them were the Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia; the General Secretary, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, and the National Organiser, Joseph Yamin.
The party observed a one-minute’s silence to remember all those who sacrificed their lives for the party.
Acknowledgement
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged the party members to remember and acknowledge the founders who struggled for the existence of the party.
“We, today, are the beneficiaries of those who started this a long time ago. Only last week, we went to celebrate June 4, and today, we are here to acknowledge 32 years of the existence of such a beautiful party.
“At times like these, one thinks of those who started it all. What did they want? Why did they come together? Why didn’t they say PNDC is enough? They didn’t because they thought that the nation needed help, and they stayed the course. They didn’t stay because they wanted anything for themselves; it was because they wanted things for the country, and it is our turn,” she said.
Party’s contributions
Mr Asiedu Nketia said although the party had not performed to its optimum, it had not failed in the past 32 years.
He said the history of the country could not be written without appreciating the contribution of the NDC to national development.
“We are always the party that comes to clean the mess, and when we leave, some other people will come and destroy everything that we have built and even dig up the foundation to make sure that this country will not survive,” he said.
Mr Nketia said the party was ready to come back and be the partners of the masses to rebuild everything that had been destroyed and ensure that the next foundation that would be built would not be destroyed ever again.
He said the country was getting into a crucial election and all attempts made by the party to ensure that the elections ended peacefully were being frustrated.
“We have warned against militarisation of our elections, and today, even on the occasion of voter transfer, military men have been deployed in some constituencies, wielding weapons, trying to convert the citizens who bought the weapons and the uniforms for them into the enemies of the state,” Mr Nketia said.
He cautioned that if there was any voice of conscience in the country, this was the right time for them to speak up.
Assurance
In a press statement issued by the flag bearer of the party, former President John Dramani Mahama, he urged the members to rekindle their commitment to the values of unity, stability and development.
He said as the party prepared for the December elections, he was reminded of the party’s powerful campaign message of “Building the Ghana we want together”.
The message, he said, was not a slogan but a call to action that echoed the party’s motto.
“It underscores the crucial role of unity in propelling our political and economic landscape and our unwavering commitment to development for all citizens.
“Our supporters are the backbone of the NDC, and I want to assure you that we remain steadfast in our commitment to these principles. Together, we will build a Ghana that is united in purpose, stable in governance and developed in opportunity for all,” the statement said.
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