Over $700 Thousand Fund Raising Cash

After months of prolonged controversies, confusion and debate over a Rawlings supervised fund-raising ceremony held in the United States of America (USA), the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, has revisited the issue and questioned how only 55 Ghanaians abroad could raise a whopping $700 thousand at a day’s event.

“I wonder how many Ghanaians have this money. I believe it is somebody’s money which he has hidden under his bed and wants to spend”, he alleged.

He said when former President Rawlings returned from his US trip, he told Ghanaians that it was his responsibility to raise money for the party, as such he was prepared to bring more (money).

The former Minister and NPP flagbearer aspirant therefore questioned if there was some money stuck somewhere to be collected and brought into the country.

Speaking to party members recently in Kumasi, the Presidential hopeful, who said he was proud of his party’s internal democracy, told party members to help ensure the defeat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come 2008, adding that “if NDC loses it means the Rawlings phenomenon in Ghanaian politics will come to an end”.

According to him, the NDC could not match the NPP in terms of democracy explaining that “we do not have a founder leader, we believes in elections; we do not have a live chairman too”.

Nana Addo continued that his party has a proven track record of internal democracy which dates back to the days of their founding fathers.

“Even J.B. Danquah, who nurtured the dream of this party, went through the process of election. In 1992 when the soldiers lifted the ban on politics, Professor Adu Boahen, who had earlier made a lot of noise for this party, also had to be elected,” he added.

Nana Addo went on to assure party members that in spite of the many aspirants gunning for the Presidential slot, the party would definitely come out united after the December Congress to elect a flagbearear for the 2008 Presidential poll.

“If anyone among us loses and feels disgruntled and wants to leave, he will leave alone,” he charged.

The NPP guru used the occasion to dismiss perceptions that he was arrogant and a bad tempered character.

“When it was time to fight Rawlings they praised me and said I was courageous and eloquent, but what I have observed is that now that we’ve killed the game, the distribution of the meat has become a problem” he said.

According to him, the picture of arrogance was being painted by some faceless people who are bent on paralyzing his dreams and ambitions.

Touching on the race, he said that there were some qualities that delegates had to look out for in each of the aspirants. These he said, included message, performance and quality of the aspirant and the quality of his organizational skill.

Nana Addo cautioned against tribal and ethnic politics saying, “it is dangerous for people to say we are weak in the north so we should get a Muslim and Northern candidate”.

He further advised delegates to vote for a competent person to lead the party in the 2008 election”.