Fellow members and delegates of the New Patriotic Party, this weekend marks an important milestone in the history and future of our great Party.

For the second time at our Party’s National Delegates’ Conference, over 5,000 delegates will gather at the Tamale sports stadium in Tamale this Saturday to elect national officers to steer the affairs of the Party for a four year term. No other party in our country has been anywhere near as bold in extending power to its rank and file, and I expect none will do so in the foreseeable future.

 Our task in Tamale, on April 12, 2014, is simple but critical: to choose a team of capable national officers who will lead us, as a united force, to recapture power in the 2016 general elections. The NPP rank and file deserve a leadership which will provide, with urgency, a clear and credible strategic plan for achieving this purpose.

We have done very well over the last four months, under challenging conditions, to hold, across the length and breadth of the country, nearly 26,000 democratic elections to choose some 140,000 officers to prosecute our 2016 campaign.

In spite of the challenges, the high level of participation, energy, zeal and camaraderie that these series of elections generated among our party activists across the country should leave the nation in no doubt that the NPP is coming back – stronger, more united, with a highly motivated grassroots organisation.

In this regard, I respectfully appeal to all delegates to vote for efficient candidates, who can collectively enhance the image and fortunes of the Party in every region of the land.

In the well-known spirit of our Party’s democratic credentials, let us have peaceful, free and fair elections. All well-meaning party members wish to see the successes that we chalked in the polling station, constituency and regional elections repeated at this weekend’s National Delegates’ Conference. And, further, that, in line with our tradition, both winners and losers come together after the elections to promote the unity and fortunes of our Party. We expect from the elected team two things: ensuring the unity of the Party and leading us to victory in 2016.

The Ghanaian people are looking to us, in the NPP, to provide a clear, strong direction to deliver them from the increasing hardships and hopelessness they have been plunged into by the Mahama-led NDC administration. We need to restore hope and confidence in our young people; we need to restore hope and confidence in the leadership of the nation. We must therefore, accordingly, conduct ourselves accordingly in a winsome manner.

Once again, I wish to congratulate all the new party officers from the polling stations, electoral areas, through the constituencies to the regions and external branches and wish them the very best. And, I also commend all former executives across the country for their service and dedication to the cause of the Party over the years. I reiterate my appeal to them to stay engaged in the activities of the Party.

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

……signed……

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo