Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, has said he is in high hopes to clinch victory on November 4 presidential primary given the tested and pragmatic vision he has so far espoused to provide Ghana’s economic freedom.

However, he is ready to support and campaign for whoever the delegates choose to bear the flag of the NPP for the 2024 general elections.

“Let me state here categorically, that I am prepared to work equally hard for whosoever the delegates choose to lead this Party on 4th November 2023. We must break the eight to retain the NPP in power,” he said.

At a press conference in Accra, Dr Akoto said the Party’s November 4 presidential primaries “is not a make-or-break issue for the Party.”

“It is to elect one of us to bear the flag of our noble Party going forward to the Presidential elections on 7th December 2024.

“It offers an opportunity for all of us to unite behind one person to lead us to “break the 8” and not to break the Party,” he said.

Dr Akoto, a former Minister of Agriculture and former Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, secured 36 votes in the NPP’s Super Delegates Conference on August 26, 2023.

He thanked the delegates for the opportunity offered him to participate in the main presidential primaries and rallied his supporters to work tirelessly to secure victory for him on November 4.

Dr. Akoto, who holds two post-graduate degrees (M.Sc and PhD) from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Cambridge University, said his commitment to the welfare and ideals of the UP tradition had been demonstrated in many aspects through his service to the Party – an attribute he said endeared him to the Party’s delegates.

He said the presidential race should not “break” the NPP but should unify the Party towards “breaking the 8” in 2024.

The astute politician, who has also worked in the UN systems for more than 18 years, will lock horns with three other candidates on November 4, 2023, for the NPP presidential primary. He placed 4th in the Special Delegates Conference held on Saturday, August 26, 2023, surprising many political pundits and pollsters.

He is expected to intensify his campaign in the coming weeks as he re-strategizes ahead of the party’s presidential primary ‘showdown’. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto is No. 3 on the ballot paper.

Over 210,000 party delegates are expected to exercise their franchise in the much-publicized elections.