The former Minister of Trade and Diasporan Relations, Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, has warned opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) not to relent on their efforts in ensuring that the party recapture power in 2012
Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, gunning for the National chair of the NPP
According to him, even though the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has shown that they cannot rule the country, they have proved that they can surely win elections.
He therefore called on the rank and file of the NPP not underestimate the NDC but rather work hard to ensure that the NPP won the next elections to save Ghanaians from the iron hands of the ruling government.
“Let us not underestimate the NDC, they do not know how to rule but they surely know how to win power. The battle is tough alright but we must fight hard”, he stressed.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey gave this warning on Monday when he met NPP party supporters and executives in Cape Coast to deliberate on how to strengthen the party and solicit their support for his intention to contest the national chairmanship of the party.
In his opinion, Ghanaians were disappointed with the NDC government and are yearning for the NPP to come back to power to continue its good works, adding that the NPP should not let Ghanaians down by ensuring that they worked hard to win back power from the ruling government to address the needs of people in the country.
He claimed that Ghanaians recognized the role the NPP played to help rescue the nation from crashing down and urged the people to eschew negative practices that will hamper the chances of the party in the next elections.
He advised party supporters and members not to allow any body to distract the successes chalked by the party in the past years, but rather forge ahead in unity to enable them recapture power in 2012.
Again, he advised the supporters to allow free competition rather than manipulation to maintain control so as to help solve issues of factions within the party.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey noted that the NPP lost the 2008 elections because of internal bickering and fighting which accounted for the ‘skirt and blouse’ that cost the party and many Ghanaians their livelihood.
He urged the supporters to sacrifice some of their personal ambitions for the common good of the party and commit themselves to ensuring that the party wins back power in 2012.
On his ambition to contest the chairmanship position of the party, he disclosed that his aim is to ensure that the party wins the 2012 elections He went on to add that when given the nod, he will build the party into a professional instrument that will win elections and allow executives to build meaningful and rewarding political career for government to enact its manifesto.
He promised to use his experience in the party to help the party win the next elections as he did in 2000 and 2004 when he was the campaign manager for former president John Agyekum Kufuor.
The meeting was attended by constituency and regional executives of the party as well as former DCEs and MPs in the region.
FROM MAGDALENE SEY, CAPE COAST
