STORY: KWAKU NTI & SELORM ATUTORNU
Accompanied by a fisted arm, the shouting of the slogan AWAKE, AWAKE was enough to take the VIP Wing of the Accra Sports Stadium by storm as the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) trumpeted their preparedness to capture power come December 2012.
The atmosphere was charged, electrifying and consummate in all red and white apparel, the official colours of the Progressive People’s Party.
To underline its strength as the youth party, most of the ecstatic crowd was youth-drawn from all membership of the party throughout the country.
And when the sole presidential nominee arrived some minutes to 10 A.M., the stage became set for the PPP to announce a novelty in Ghanaian politics-National Convention.
It was not the all-popular and known congresses that Ghanaians had come to be associated with.
It offered the platform for the PPP to unveil its manifesto, constitution and introduce its national leadership throughout the country and presto the young men and women who had assumed key positions in the party like Secretary Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, National Treasurer, Felix Ograh, National Youth Leader, Divine Nkrumah, and Women’s Leader, Berlinda Bulley, set the stage and the unveiling of a party with a youth agenda.
Themed “Educate, Inform and Organise for Victory 2012,” the much expected first convention of the newly formed PPP was the talk of the Ghanaian capital as roads leading to the ancient town of Osu in Accra was decorated in the red and white colours of the political party.
Solidarity messages from other political parties with the exception of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) bore testimony of the assertion that the PPP is the third force in the country’s electoral politics.
Registered party members from the north, who thronged the venue of sports activities in the capital, carried the inscription of hope on their faces as they joined their counterparts from the south to celebrate the birth of the PPP.
Speaker after speaker encouraged Ghanaians to watch out for the party as it was poised to capture power in 2012.
The interim secretary of PPP, Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, recounted successes chalked by the party since its formation on 28th December, 2011.
According to him, the party signaled its preparedness to act as a viable force seeking to liberate Ghanaians from the incompetent and corrupt administrations of the NPP and NDC which had captured the political space of the country since the inception of the Fourth Republic.
“We shocked the executives of the Electoral Commission (EC) when we presented fully endorsed forms from 170 founding members in all districts of the country in a record time of 48 hours.”
He also indicated to the gathering that the party has opened several branches overseas including Canada, USA, Britain and France.
The leader of the Women’s wing of the party, Belinda Bulley, added her voice to earlier promises that the party would seek to have a 20% female representation in all committees within the party.
The youth wing of the party, according to Divine Nkrumah, is wide awake and is working to recruit members for the party.
“We are currently represented in 48 educational institutions in Ghana and willing to go to every nook and cranny of the country to canvass for votes for the PPP…,” he assured.
Clad in all white attire and accompanied by his wife who stood at his left to give him the moral support, the sole presidential nominee of the party, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, urged Ghanaians to vote for a candidate with achievement.
Vote for a President who has done something in his public and private life… [And] I am very suited for this job,” he asserted.
Singing lines from reggae legend, Bob Marley, the pragmatic leader who assured the nation of a rapid change when elected into office also encouraged the party members not to lose hope but instead allude their plight to the story of David and Goliath in the Bible.
“[Speaking Fante] we are the David and unfortunately we have two Goliaths in the representation of the NDC and the NPP to deal with, but with God on our side, we would defeat them…” he asserted.
The great achiever and entrepreneur also promised that a PPP government would provide a change in the administration of the country to ensure an efficient and corruption-free government.
He also promised a change in various sectors of the economy including health, education, and energy.
“The PPP will provide Quality Education for every Ghanaian child. We will standardize school facilities from kindergarten to Senior High School with libraries, toilets, classrooms, kitchen, housing for teachers, playground, and ensure free and compulsory education from Kindergarten to SHS, ” he promised.
