Stephen Ntim, the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has urged the party’s members to come together and unite after the party’s presidential primaries, scheduled for November 4, 2023.
He stressed that maintaining internal discipline and cohesion among party members is essential for the NPP to secure a third consecutive term in the December 2024 elections.
He made this appeal during a joint press conference held by the National Executive Committee and Council of Elders at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on November 2.
“Saturday, November 4th, holds significant importance for the New Patriotic Party. At the end of the day, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who has led our party admirably for 16 successful years, will carry out the first of two handovers. First, to one of the four aspirants who emerges victorious as the party’s leader, and second, to that same leader, who will become the NPP’s flagbearer and, if successful, the President of the Republic of Ghana on January 7, 2025,” Ntim stated.
He emphasized the pivotal role of the November 4th flagbearer election in the NPP’s quest for a third term, as the development of Ghana hinges on the NPP’s victory in the 2024 general elections. Ntim underlined that success depends on the party’s discipline, internal peace, and unity.
He cautioned that a failure to maintain these qualities would jeopardize the party’s electoral prospects.
Highlighting the consequences of disunity, Chairman Ntim recounted the 2008 general elections when the NPP suffered a painful defeat, despite leading the first round of voting with 49.13% of the total valid votes cast.
He pointed out that disunity and internal divisions played a role in the party’s loss, as many NPP supporters did not turn out to vote in the first round.
“One of the chief contributors to our defeat in the 2008 general elections was the lack of unity of purpose or internal cohesion. We cannot afford to be disunited even briefly after the results are declared on Saturday. We must guard against any conduct, actions, or inactions that could lead us down a path of apathy and disunity,” Ntim emphasized.
Addressing the hotly contested 2023 flagbearer election, Ntim called on the entire NPP community to put aside their differences and approach the upcoming November 4 presidential primaries with a commitment to work together and support the chosen leader and flagbearer.
He invoked the unity and enthusiasm that characterized the party’s approach to the 1996 and 2000 elections and encouraged a return to such unity to secure victory in the upcoming elections.
Ntim concluded by highlighting the significance of an NPP government, emphasizing that the alternative to the NPP is concerning and lacks concrete policy ideas to address youth unemployment, a challenge faced by governments worldwide.
The NPP will hold its presidential primaries on Saturday, November 4, 2023, to select its flagbearer for the December 2024 general elections.
The party has the opportunity to elect not only its flagbearer but also a new leader to succeed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Four aspirants are vying for the position: Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia; Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, former Minister of Food and Agriculture; Kennedy Agyapong, the sitting member of Parliament for Assin Central in the Central Region; and Francis Addai Nimoh, the former member of Parliament for Mampong Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
