The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party is cautioning party faithfuls to desist from discussing internal matters in the media as an internal power struggle deepens.
He expressed fears that if this tendency is not checked it will affect the fortunes of the party in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
Nana Akufo-Addo made this known in Oda, as his “Rise and Build Tour” reached the Eastern Region, on Monday, first of day of his 3-day tour of the region.
Many in the party and outside it cannot believe the level of discord the party has sunk into as rift between the party’s national executive and chairman and General Secretary on the other hand show no sign of waning.
The General Secretary took to the media complaining about his feelings of exclusion from party. He is accusing the flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo and other executives of the party of sidelining him in.
Speaking on Accra-based radio station OK FM today, Mr Agyepong said he only read about the party’s Árise and Build’ tour on the internet.
But addressing party faithful, consisting of constituency executives, parliamentary candidates and party sympathisers from eight constituencies, Nana Akufo-Addo expressed his deep concern about the raging ‘media battle’ being waged by some members of the party on internal party issues.
“I am very concerned about what is happening (in the party). I have made a clear decision in my mind that we will have to resolve these issues”
The radio campaign in our party is not helping any of us. Let us stop discussing NPP matters on the radio,” he said, to the approval of the NPP members at a packed auditorium of the St. Luke Methodist Church.
He urged NPP members not to be provoked into responding to any issue bordering on internal party matters, convinced that “if no one gives any credence to the matters that are being discussed, that matter will die. When responses to these issues come from us that is when the matter degenerates.”
Nana Akufo-Addo admonished NPP members to “make a resolution (that) no more radio campaign in the NPP. The problems will have to be resolved.”
Operation 70% in Eastern Region.
To the regional and constituency executives, and parliamentary candidates, Nana Akufo-Addo charged them to ensure that the NPP wins not less than 70% of the popular vote in 2016.
The performance of the NPP in the Eastern Region, he noted, would determine the outcome of the election of 2016.
“We know of the ‘Agenda 50/50’ project of the NDC. Our project is different. We are looking for 70% of the popular vote in the Eastern Region in 2016. The time has come that the NPP demonstrated its strength in the Eastern Region,” he said.
He urged the gathering to evolve strategies which would neutralise the obvious “tribal campaign” the NDC would wage in the Eastern Region in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Nana Akufo-Addo explained that, as per the 2010 census, the Eastern Region has a population of 2.5 million people, comprising of 1.3 million people of Akan origin and 1.2 million non-Akan.
“They are coming to wage a tribal campaign in the Eastern Region, that’s why they are talking about ‘Agenda 50/50’. We cannot allow them to do that. We have to build a coalition of all the people of the Eastern Region. Eastern Region contains all tribes in the region. It is a microcosm of Ghana, Ghana in one region. Our campaign, understanding and strategy has to be as if we are fighting a Ghanaian election in the Eastern Region,” Nana Akufo-Addo added.
He urged the gathering to take the advice of Hon. Gifty Klenam, Member of Parliament for Lower West Akim, who spoke earlier about the need of NPP members to undertake a rigorous “outreach exercise” to bring the clear majority of inhabitants of the Eastern Region onto the victory ship of the NPP.
“If we are going to build a coalition, then it must start from the Eastern Region. We have to put our house in order. I urge all aspirants, current and former executives, former Ministers and DCEs to come together and help us win the next election,” he added.
