Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo rounded off his five-day tour of the Eastern Region on Sunday, July 3, with an appeal to the people of the region to vote massively for him and the party’s parliamentary candidates in this year’s elections.

According to him, the NPP is the only party with a proven track record of implementing policies and programmes that impacted positively on the lives of all Ghanaians across every part of the country, without discrimination.

Touring the Atiwa East, Atiwa West, Fanteakwa South and Abuakwa South constituencies, Nana Akufo-Addo indicated that “there is no political party in Ghana that has the track record of fashioning out policies and programmes like the NPP”, adding that “we have the men and women who can govern this country in a manner that will bring jobs, wealth and prosperity to all part of the country.”

Nana Akufo-Addo noted that “all government and social intervention policies, in recent memory, are ones instituted and implemented by the NPP, namely the National Health Insurance Scheme, School Feeding Programme, Free Maternal Care, Metro Mass Transit, and Mass Cocoa spraying exercise.” However, anytime a policy is to be implemented to the benefit of Ghanaians, “you have skeptics and naysayers telling Ghanaians that ‘it cannot be done’ and ‘it is not possible’”.

He recounted the period, prior to the 2000 elections, when then candidate John Agyekum Kufuor told the electorate that he would introduce the National Health Insurance Scheme, to which members of the then ruling NDC government, including the late Prof. Mills, retorted by stating that it was not possible. “Didn’t Kufuor do it? Didn’t it help us? Didn’t it benefit Ghanaians?”

Akufo-Addo asked, to which the response from the gathering was in the affirmative.

Likewise, “when I said I was going to implement the Free SHS policy, Mahama said it cannot be done, and that I was deceiving Ghanaians. But, later he turned around and tried to implement it, albeit ending up in failure.”

Again, the NPP flagbearer noted that “the same way I proposed the Northern Development Authority to help the three Northern Regions, so as to help bridge the developmental gap between the North and South, there was the usual talk of ‘it cannot be done’, ‘he can’t do it’. Again, he (President Mahama) tried, through the creation of SADA, to implement my idea. He failed woefully at it. SADA has now become the vehicle for the wanton theft of public resources”

He continued, “So, between us (in the NPP) and President Mahama, who has the policies for Ghana’s forward movement? Who is telling Ghanaians the truth? Who has the vision to lift up Ghanaians onto a higher pedestal?”

Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated his pledge of setting up a factory in each district, stressing that “when you help put me into Office, the ‘1-district-1-factory’ policy will be implemented for the benefit of all Ghanaians, as it will create the hundreds of thousands of jobs our young people need.”

He also assured farmers of his government’s support in modernizing country’s agriculture, as well as actively promoting the production of other cash crops like cotton, coffee, cashew, oil palm and maize, with the support of his government. The NPP flagbearer, thus, appealed for the support of the Eastern Region to help push ‘the Elephant’ into the Flagstaff House in 2017.

“This is my third attempt at unlocking the door (to the Presidency). I am here to appeal for your support. I need your strength and backing to help me, so I can come and do a job for Ghana, to the benefit of us all. Trust me and try me this year, and God-willing, when I get there, I will not disappoint you,” he added.