General News of Saturday, 17 November 2007

Source: GNA

Kufuor and NPP's tenure is over - Nduom

Tamale, Nov. 17, GNA- Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, a Convention People's Party (CPP) Presidential aspirant at the weekend told Ghanaians not to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 elections since their tenure of office was over.

He said the 1992 Constitution allows the president to run a two term of office and that Kufuor and the NPP would be ending theirs in December 2008 to pave way for the CPP to govern the country. Dr Nduom was addressing a mini rally of party members in Tamale to outline his programmes, if he is given the chance as a Presidential Candidate and subsequently made the President.

"I am not only interested in winning the primary to become CPP Presidential Candidate, but also interested in occupying President Kufuor's seat when he leaves the Castle in 2009."

Dr Nduom said Ghanaians should discard the notion that governance in Ghana was between the NDC and the NPP, and give their maximum support to the CPP to enable the party to win power and continue with the "Unfinished agenda" of the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

He claimed that Ghanaians were now denouncing the NDC and the NPP for their inability to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich and that the CPP was going to march them boot for boot.

Dr Nduom said when the NDC's tenure of office under former President Rawlings ended in 2000, power was handed over to President Kufuor and the NPP peacefully, and asked the Kufuor administration to do the same to the CPP in 2009.

On his political attachment with the NPP, Dr Nduom explained that it was a call to serve mother Ghana and that any patriotic Ghanaian would not refuse such a call.

He appealed to members of the party to discard the notion that he had NPP "Blood" in him saying, "I have been CPP all my life". He said his position in governance qualified the country for the Millennium Challenged Account (MCA), which benefited the country including Northern Region and that a CPP government would see more improvement in the lives of the people.

Dr Nduom said a CPP government would reintroduce the Northern Scholarship to ensure that all children of Northern origin went to school up to University level free of charge.

He called on all members who were in other parties to retrace their steps and become part of the winning team in 2009 to jointly offer good governance to Ghanaians.

Mr Albert Atutiga, Northern Regional Chairman of the party called on party members to critically examine all people who wanted to rule Ghana before they give them the mandate.