NPP youths in Ablekuma South Constituency of the Greater Accra Region are calling on Nii Ayikoi Otoo to contest for the regional chairmanship position of the party in the upcoming national congress later this year.
According to the youths, the current state of affairs of the party in the region needs an experience politician who is also a unifier and can close the ranks of all existing factions to enable the party win back all its lost parliamentary seats in last year’s elections.
Hon. Ayikoi Otoo, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General
And the NPP youths are of the firm belief that the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General and ex-Parliamentary candidate for Krowor Constituency possesses those essential qualities to secure a landslide victory for the party in the region.
They further asserted that the Greater Accra Regional chairmanship position is one key position when in the hands of the right person can enable the NPP reclaim power from the NDC come 2012.
“We believe that one person is Nii Ayikoi Otoo and he is one person who could win more hearts and minds into the fold of NPP which will bring the much needed vicory for the NPP in Gratert Accra in 2012,” affirmed Mr Theophilus Ayorkwei, the leader of the NPP youth in Ablekuma South.
At a meeting held at the Plaza Cinema in Korle-Gorno in Accra to brainstorm on how best they could project the party in the Constituency, the youths unanimously agreed to be solidly behind Nii Ayikoi Otoo should he accept their call to contest for the NPP Greater Accra Regional Chairman.
Although several party heavyweights were present at the meeting, the arrival of Mr Ayikoi Otoo was met with a rapturous welcome amidst dancing to brass band music and chanting of slogans, all in an attempt by the NPP youths to demonstrate their unflinching support for him.
But for timely intervention of the security guards at the Cinema, the pump and pageantry that characterized the former minister’s arrival could have disrupted the entire programme, as his address intermittently received thunderous applause from excited party faithful who were pleased to see him.
The unusual noise which emanated from the Cinema, however, drew the attention of the residents in the vicinity who also trooped in their numbers to witness what was happening.
When the paper sought from Nii Otoo in an interview what he made of the call by the youths in the Constituency, the legal luminary said “I have accepted the challenge, if my own people have reposed confidence in me and have mustered courage to bluntly tell me that they would need me as their next regional Chairman what else can I say? I do not have any option than to heed to their request, so definitely I am going to contest.”
“I have been with people in the trenches and they know what I can bring to the table to ensure that all disenchanted supporters return to the fold of the party. We have numerous problems to contend with as a political party before the 2012 elections, and we need someone who has unique organizational skills to canvass for votes for the party,” suggested Mr Ayikoi Otoo.
It was in this direction that he stressed that he was endowed with the required expertise and organizational ability to move the party forward, adding that “My career as legal practitioner tells it all.”
According to him, it is about time the party forged ahead with unity and refrain from internal acrimony and viciousness.
He reiterated his commitment to create an enabling environment that would welcome dissenting views and give equal attention to everyone, irrespective of the person’s standing in the party.
Furthermore, he bemoaned the drastic decline of the party’s Parliamentary seats in the 2008 elections saying “We should sit down and dissect how we (NPP) lost so many Parliamentary seats in 2008 and see how best we can strategize to recapture those lost seats.
“We had 17 seats in Parliament before the 2008 elections, but our numbers dropped to 11, so clearly we have a difficult assignment on our hands,” revealing that the party needs sober and a level headed person to man its affairs in the region.
“As one family with a common goal, I believe equal attention should be given to all.” And for now our main focus should be how to wrestle political power from the NDC in 2012,” asserted Mr Otoo.
BY ATO KEELSON & STEPHEN DARKO
