The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Stephen Ayensu Ntim has stated that the way forward for the party is to deal decisively with the widespread indiscipline, apathy, and general indifference in the Party.
He has therefore called specifically on the four flagbearer aspirants, each of whom is capable of leading the NPP, to commit to working as a team to ensure victory, even if they fail to win on Saturday.
“Rallying behind the eventual winner on Saturday is a necessary condition for our success in 2024 because it has the effect of promoting unity and healing the wounds that the internal contest has opened up,” Mr. Ntim stated.
The National Chairman delivered a statement to the press on the November 4th Presidential Primaries of the party on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023.
He called on party members to reconnect with the passion to serve, which was the driving force behind the exploits of the forebears.
“We must undertake to let go of personal differences and disagreements. In other words, we must each prioritize the larger interest of the Party ahead of our hurts and egos,” he stated.
He said that to emerge from Saturday united and poised for victory, each party member must be able to say to he or herself that the battle ahead is not about the individual.
“We must each look at the bigger picture, bearing in mind that the grand pursuit of the New Patriotic Party is generational, and our task is to build on the gains we have inherited,” he stated.
Mr. Ntim said that the singular mandate is to add on, not to take away or undermine the inheritance.
“As Chairman, working with the Steering Committee, we will take a strong view against indiscipline in the Party and related actions or inactions with the propensity to undermine our generational mandate and the goal of winning the elections in 2024.
“Hopefully, there will be no need to crack the whip, but rather, we shall work in a disciplined fashion to advance the dreams of our forefathers, captured by Dr. J B Danquah, and I quote,
“The Party’s policy is to liberate the energies of the people for the growth of a property-owning democracy in this land, with a right to life, freedom, and justice as the principles to which the government and laws of the land should be dedicated in order specifically to enrich life, property and liberty of every citizen,” he said
He said that Saturday, 4th November, is crucial for the New Patriotic Party.
“By the close of the day on Saturday, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who has led our Party admirably for 16 successful years, will perform the first of two handing overs, first to one of the four aspirants who emerged victorious to succeed him as the flagbearer of the Party, and second, to that same flagbearer of the NPP, to succeed him as the President of the Republic of Ghana, on 7 January 2025. This is the nature and consequence of the November 4th flagbearer election,” he said.
He said that the NPP is determined to win a third term because the development of Ghana depends on an NPP victory in the 2024 general elections.
“That victory begins this Saturday, and every member of this Party has something significant to do with it. It requires that we are disciplined as a party. Failure to be disciplined, ensure internal peace and cohesion, and be responsive to our mandate will gravely imperil our electoral prospects,” he said.
He vividly recalled the 2008 general elections and some of the factors that accounted for the painful loss after the party led the first round with 49.13 percent of the total votes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the most painful part of that experience is that we lost the presidential election in the second round after we had increased our votes by 321,000, whereas all we needed to win in the first round, was a little over 100,000 votes. In others words, we gifted the NDC the elections in 2008 because our people did not come out to vote in the first round,” he said, adding that the party is at the same point today, and some of the factors that led to losing the election in 2008 are rearing their ugly heads.
He stated that the 2024 general elections will be fought on many fronts, especially the economy.
“But we know we will win the battle of the economy because our capacity, commitment, and record show that we have what it takes to regenerate the economy from the ruins of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War that threw the entire global economy out of balance.
“We know the challenges Ghanaians have endured from the second quarter of 2022, where due to the twin factors of COVID-19 and the War in Ukraine, inflation began to skyrocket, the performance of the cedi started deteriorating, and productivity slowed. It led to the President making the difficult but inevitable decision for Ghana to go to the IMF for a balance of payment support. During this challenging period, many countries in Africa, Asia and elsewhere sought help from the IMF for the same reason Ghana applied.
“H.E. the President has acknowledged the present economic difficulties in the country and has committed every effort of his government to improve conditions for Ghanaians. As we speak, the economy has taken a turn for good. Inflation, which rose to a high of 54.1 in December 2022, is declining quickly (38.1% as at October 2023). The cedi has primarily stabilized, and productivity is increasing by 3.2 percent at the close of the second quarter of 2023,” he said.
Regarding what the NPP government has achieved sector by sector, he said that the party has an impressive account to render to Ghanaians.
“Our opponent has not accomplished nearly a quarter of what we have achieved in the past 7 years,” he said.
He noted that one of the chief contributors to the defeat in the 2008 general elections is the lack of unity of purpose or internal cohesion.
“We cannot afford to be disunited even briefly after the results are declared on Saturday. We must guard against any conduct, actions, or inactions likely to take us on a path of apathy and disunity,” he stated.
He noted that the 2023 flagbearer election has been hotly contested, and in the process, a lot of water has gone under the bridge.
“Today, I call for us to wipe the slate clean to approach Saturday with a commitment to work together and support whoever emerges as our leader and flagbearer,” he exhorted.
“There can only be one flagbearer at a time. I fondly recall the enthusiasm and unity that characterized our approach to the 1996 and 2000 elections. It was apparent we wanted to win as a party. But the height of enthusiasm and conviction with which we canvassed for victory in the 2000 general elections has waned considerably, and we must fit now.
“The alternative to an NPP government is scary, and the alternative to us is empty. These statements are valid because the NDC has not put forth any policy idea to address the youth unemployment challenge which is the preoccupation of governments worldwide.
“We are implementing the one-district-one factory (1D1F) policy initiative, which has created 60,000 direct jobs and several thousand indirect opportunities for the youth. As a result of 1D1F, today, Ekumfi Juice is sold in Walmart and 499 other shops in the United States of America. Certification to export to European markets is far advanced, and soon Ekumfi Juice will be available in leading shops in the United Kingdom, among others. The company currently employs 1,500 people between its out-grower scheme and regular staff. Ladies and gentlemen, Ekumfi Juice Factory is the first 1D1F factory whose sod was cut personally by H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in August 2017.
“This is the development path that all advanced economies have walked, and we are committed to staying this cause to industrialize. Let the NDC tell Ghanaians their alternative to 1D1F. We want to compare.
“The exploits of Ekumfi Juice Factory and the many other 1D1F companies are testaments that the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda can materialize if we, in the NPP, work hard to retain power in 2025.
“When it comes to managing Ghana’s economy, our opponents do not have a comparable record. It is the case that today, the NDC feels emboldened because COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine War have vanquished the gains we made immediately upon taking over on 7th January 2017.
“Under President John Agyekum Kufuor, from 7th January 2001 to 7th January 2009, the NPP pulled Ghana’s economy out of the stagnation the NDC left. Again, under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, we grew the economy on average 7 percent from another NDC stagnation for three consecutive years before the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s War in Ukraine. The truth is that we are fixing the economy, and soon, the hardships of today will be history. The assurance to Ghanaians that we will regenerate the economy is manifest in our record.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is evident that what stands in our way to a third consecutive electoral victory is ourselves, our actions, and our inactions,” and called on all to unite whilst wishing the candidates the best of luck.
