Sekou Starts Campaign For NPP

Many National Democratic Congress (NDC) chieftains, including Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister, Enoch Teye Mensah, are those who have raised doubts about the ability of Dr. Sekou Nkrumah to add any value to the campaign fortunes of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) since he declared his intentions to support it, but the number of people that gathered to listen to him last Thursday showed his influence.

In his maiden appearance on an NPP platform to campaign for the party for the 2012 elections, Sekou was the toast of residents of Odododiodoo constituency in Accra Central when he stormed the place to galvanize support for the NPP.

He arrived at Odododiodoo in the company of some NPP kingpins to kick start what promises to be a vigorous campaign to help push the Mills administration out of government. Sekou was literally mobbed by the crowd when he arrived, with each of them trying strenuously to catch a glimpse of him.

He was in the company of former Mayor of Accra, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson, and the NPP parliamentary candidate for the area, Captain Victor Okaikoi (Rtd).

It was the first time Sekou was attending an NPP meeting since he indicated his preparedness to join the party’s camping team.

He arrived at a place called Asere around 6:00pm to attend two different cell meetings of the NPP in the constituency which has virtually been declared a ‘no go area’ for the NPP by the candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nii Lantey Vanderpuiye.

Even before they arrived, a large crowd had besieged the meeting place of the ‘Action’ and ‘St Paul’ cells where he was scheduled to address party faithful.

Interestingly, Odododiodoo was the constituency that took Sekou’s father, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to Parliament when he began political activism in the country several years ago.

Sekou’s message was ‘Mills and his NDC administration has failed Ghanaians’, hence the need for a change for the better.

In his address, Sekou, who has fallen out with the NDC, stressed the need for all Ghanaians to put their hands on deck to get President Mills and his NDC government out of power since they had failed to deliver on the numerous promises they made ahead of the 2008 general elections, upon which Ghanaians voted for them.

“I was campaigning for President Mills and the NDC in 2008; we were expecting that he comes to power and help the people. That’s what he and the party said but very little has been done and its all propaganda; people are on radio who can speak big big English and saying they are doing this and doing that and its ‘Better Ghana,’ he said. “If there is a ‘Better Ghana,’ are we all not going to see it?” he said amidst a thunderous applause from the crowd.

But he said, “they don’t need to come and tell us there is a ‘Better Ghana’ because if you are doing something good, you don’ need to talk; we will all see it but what is happening is graphic. Even the founder of the party himself is criticizing them and complaining about the performance of the party so how can we ordinary Ghanaians then trust the party?”

He noted with emphasis, ‘clearly, they have failed.’

He urged the people to be careful not to fall for any scheme by the NDC that would influence their decision on Election Day, because he considered that as one trading his conscience for money.

He recounted how he rejected a similar offer of a vehicle and a substantial amount of money by a known NDC businessman and close pal of President Mills to lure him back into the NDC.

On his part, Mr. Adjiri Blankson, the Greater Accra representative on the National Council of the NPP, asked the people to assess their living conditions before going to vote.

He cited the skyrocketing prices of goods and services, including the depreciation of the cedi against the world’s major trading currencies as an example of the poor performance of the Mills administration, not to even talk about the prices of outboard motors and other essential commodities for farmer and fishermen.

Source: Charles Takyi-Boadu/D-Guide