The 2012 presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, has congratulated the party on organising a peaceful conference, as well as the newly elected executives, for emerging victorious.

Nana Akufo-Addo in a statement urged the new executives to bring their fellow competitors together to foster unity and work for the victory of the party in the 2016 general elections.

"...I also urge our new national officers to reach out and bring on board their fellow competitors who were not victorious on the day. This is the only way we can forge ahead, as a united party, in our quest to restore hope to Ghanaians. I reiterate, once again, my appeal to all former executives to stay engaged in the activities of the Party," the statement read.

The NPP on Saturday held its National Delegates' Conference to elect national officers to steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.

Mr. Paul Afoko was elected National Chairman with 2,034 votes to beat Stephen Ntim, Fred Oware and Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey the other contenders for the chairmanship position.

Among the new faces to serve on the executive board with Mr. Afoko are Kwabena Agyepong (General Secretary), Freddie Blay (First Vice Chairman), Sammy Crabbe (Second Vice Chairman), FF Antoh (Third Vice Chairman) and Sammy Awuku (National Youth Organiser).

Others are Kamal-deen Abdulai (National Nasara Coordinator), John Boadu (National Organiser) and Emmanuel Abankwah Yeboah (National Treasurer). They will lead the party until 2018.

Below is Akufo-Addo's full statement

This is to congratulate the new National Chairman, Mr. Paul Afoko, and the other national officers of the New Patriotic Party who were elected in the party’s National Delegates’ Conference held in Tamale.

I congratulate the party for the peaceful, credible, efficient and successful manner in which the elections for our national executives were conducted. It has been exciting and competitive. The high level of participation, enthusiasm and camaraderie that this election generated among our activists gives an indication of their collective energy and commitment to the struggle ahead in 2016.

Internal party contests are not about winners and losers. They are about the party winning. We should all, in the true spirit of our party’s tradition, rally behind our new national officers to strengthen our resolve and singleness of purpose to capture power in 2016.

In this regard, I also urge our new national officers to reach out and bring on board their fellow competitors who were not victorious on the day. This is the only way we can forge ahead, as a united party, in our quest to restore hope to Ghanaians. I reiterate, once again, my appeal to all former executives to stay engaged in the activities of the Party.

We should all remember that the Ghanaian people are looking up to us to provide a strong, positive direction to deliver them from the failing government of the NDC. We should not fail them.

May God bless our party, our country Ghana and us all.

……signed…… Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo