The flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo Addo, has called for a change in leadership to ensure a turnaround in the country’s economic fortunes.
In a statement to mark the third anniversary of the party’s failed election petition following the 2012 presidential polls, Nana Addo said that the mismanagement by the current Mahama administration had resulted in the country’s economic woes.
“With three months to the holding of the December 2016 election, our economy is in crisis, businesses are collapsing, the cost of living is unbearably high for the ordinary person, our youth remain without employment, our children are failing in their examinations, cash and carry is effectively back in our hospitals, and we are experiencing strikes all over,” the statement from Nana Addo said.
“God did not put us on this rich land to be poor. It is bad leadership that makes us poor”
He added that, an NPP administration led by him would provide the leadership needed to lift the country out of the ‘crisis’ it is in.
“I believe I can in all humility, provide with God’s guidance and the assistance of a capable team, the leadership that is needed to return Ghana onto the path of progress and prosperity, when the Ghanaian people entrust me with their mandate. I am appealing to Ghanaians to repose their confidence in me in December, and together we shall make the Black Star of Africa rise and shine again,” he said.
Country’s democracy supreme
Nana Addo reiterated his commitment to democracy, noting that his acceptance of the Supreme Court’s final verdict on the petition despite his issues with it as a case in point.
He believes that his and the NPP’s acceptance of the verdict demonstrated leadership and a dedication to Ghana’s democratic growth.
“I said on the day the judgement was delivered, that everything in my bones, in the way I was brought up and in how I have conducted my life thus far, made it imperative that I accept a decision of the highest court of our land, even though I might disagree with it. I thank the Lord that He gave me that inner strength to display the leadership when required,” Nana Addo said.
He urged all Ghanaians to respect the country’s democratic processes and adhere to all the rules governing the elections to ensure free and fair polls in December.
“It must be pointed out that the sanctity of the ballot is and must be supreme. It is the expression of preference involved in the casting of the ballot that is sacred – the rest of the activities are, at best, administrative exercises. The count, the collation, the transmission and the declaration of results cannot and should not be more important than the sacred, God-given right of a citizen expressing his or her choice represented by the casting of his or her ballot.”
“The strength of any democracy is very much determined by the credibility of its electoral system. It is in our collective interest that we ensure that the rules and regulations for the conduct of elections are fair and transparent, and that we all develop respect for them. There should be no lingering questions about the legitimacy of an election, and the winning candidate at the end of the process should receive the unalloyed support of all. That is how we can strengthen our democracy and the peace and stability of our nation.”
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