A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has appealed to the 961 super delegates of the party to have faith in him by voting massively for him to be among the five candidates that will be shortlisted for the November 4 showdown.

In his message to the super delegates ahead of Saturday, August 26, 2023, polls, Dr. Akoto said now is the time for the kingmakers of the party to show him some love after having done so much to the progress of the party.

He reminded them of his vision for the party and the country and noted that he has the wherewithal to revive the UP tradition and ensure its growth, where the sufferings of its activists will be no more.

According to the former two-term Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, his vision of establishing commercial businesses to generate revenue to finance activities of the party at all levels while creating job opportunities for the unemployed stands tall among the ten candidates vying for the flagbearer position of the party since it is sustainable and attainable.

“I am appealing to you, the super delegates, to vote for me. When you vote for me, I have envisioned two things to do; one for the party and the other for the country. All of us are aware of what happened in the 2016 general elections. In the Presidential, our then-candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo beat the then incumbent President John Mahama with over 900,000 votes. But when we went to the 2020 general elections when everyone was expecting a wider margin between these two presidential candidates, the over 900,000 votes was cut down to a little over 500,000. We nearly lost the parliamentary majority seats. We are now pegged at 137 with the Independent Parliamentary candidate, Amoako Asiamah, declaring to do business with the NPP for us to become the Majority Group”, he noted.

He added “These happenings tell us that all was not well largely because our grassroots were abandoned. When you talk to them, almost everyone is complaining. This makes breaking the eight-year governance cycle very difficult, hence, my decision to contest for the flagbearer position to turn things around. So, I am appealing to you once again to show me some love and vote massively for me. I will ensure to work hard to reform the party for all to enjoy”, he underscored.

He said both women and the youth will play leading roles in his government when elected to lead the NPP and subsequently as President of the Republic of Ghana.

A total of 10 aspirants are contesting for the flagbearer race of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

They are a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, former Minister of Energy, Mr. Boakye Agyarko; former NPP General Secretary and presidential spokesperson, Mr. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong; former Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong, Mr. Francis Addai-Ni­moh; former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku.

The rest are Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia; former Minis­ter of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; former Min­ister of Justice and Attorney Gen­eral, Mr Joe Ghartey; energy expert, Mr Kwadwo Opoku and Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.

A Special Delegates Congress will be held on August 26, 2023, to select five of the presidential aspirants.

The top five aspirants will then contest for the flagbearer slot on November 4, 2023, to elect one to lead the party in the 2024 general election.