The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo, has reaffirmed the NPP’s commitment to ensuring free, fair,
transparent and elections in 2012, saying the party would continue to
confirm the ballot box as the only medium by which Ghanaian’s could
determine who should lead them.

He made this known at a press conference held at the Freedom Hotel, Ho,
where he responded to President Mills’ position on peaceful elections in the
country, as was contained his State of the Nation address delivered on
Thursday 17th February 2011.

Nana Addo stated that the NPP’s commitment to democratic governance and the
peaceful transfer of power, after elections, is not negotiable and
discouraged those who sought to discredit, through propaganda, the NPP’s
proven record of commitment to Ghana’s democracy to cease doing so because
“they would not succeed”.

“Even our acceptance of the results of the 2008 elections, which produced
the slimmest majority in the history of elections in Africa, was a
demonstration of our commitment to the preservation of peace and democracy.
We did not want to win at any cost”, Nana Addo said.

The 2008 elections, according to the NPP’s Presidential Candidate, revealed
that there are potentially dangerous developments in Ghana that, if ignored,
can disturb our peace and our democracy.

He said the beating of war drums in 2008 by the leadership of the NDC and
the obedient response of their footsoldiers, many of whom trooped to the
headquarters of the Electoral Commission (EC) under the leadership of the
NDC General Secretary, gave all Ghanaians and international observers
sufficient warning signals that we cannot afford to be complacent about
2012.

In the run up to the 2008 elections, Nana Addo repeatedly said that not a
single drop of Ghanaian blood would be spilled for him to become
Presidentand he reaffirmed his commitment to this position at the
press conference
.

He, however, said that such a commitment did not mean he would stand by and
watch followers of the NPP, followers he has the privilege and
responsibility to lead, being brutalized without protection from the state.

“For a man, who from his youthful days had never been afraid to stand up for
his beliefs, it would be shirking my duty as a political leader not to speak
out to the followers of my party to stand up and defend those shared beliefs”,
Nana Addo added.

Nana urged all political parties and Ghanaians committed to promoting peace
and deepening our democracy to work with the NPP in securing these ends.

“Ghanaian democrats, no matter their party affiliation, should stand
shoulder to shoulder to defend and promote the aims of our democratic
Republic that also include standing up against the bully at the polling
station.”

“We shall continue to believe in Ghana. We will muster the necessary courage
to defend democratic Ghana and continue in our peaceful quest to win power
in 2012 and bring back hope and opportunities to the people of Ghana,
irrespective of their politics, creed, ethnicity, region, religion, age,
gender or social status” Nana Addo said.

Nana Akufo-Addo assured the people of Ghana that the NPP, under the
leadership of Jake Otanka Obestebi-Lamptey and himself, will do all that
they can to ensure that the next general elections are held under an
atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

Present at the Press Conference were Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, NPP National
Chairman; Kwadwo Owusu-Afryie, NPP General Secretary; Kenwood Nuworsu, NPP
Volta Regional Chairman; Esther Ofori, NPP National Treasurer; Frema Osei
Opare, MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon; and Rashid Bawa, a former envoy to Saudi
Arabia.

--
NPP Communications Directorate
NPP Headquarters, Asylum Down. Accra.

Dep. Director: Curtis Perry K. Okudzeto
(024-9679008)