It’s a question that begs for an answer – whether or not the Ghanaian people will give the New Patriotic Party (NPP) another chance to govern the country when electorates go to the polls in 2024 taking into cognizance the economic hardship that has engulfed the citizenry under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is serving his last term in office.
A number of names have been mentioned as flagbearer hopefuls with a few confirming their willingness to lead the party to ‘break the eight’. One is Kwabena Agyepong, a former General Secretary of the party who also served as Press Secretary to former president John Agyekum Kufuor between 2001 to 2006.
Taking his turn on The Delay Show aired on November 5, 2022, monitored by GhanaWeb, the civil engineer expressed optimism that he is the man to lead the NPP regardless.
“Considering how Ghanaians are wailing and complaining about hunger; Ghanaians are dejected under NPP and now you’re here as a member of the NPP asking to be voted for. Do you think Ghanaians will listen to you?” asked Deloris Frimpong Manso (Delay) who sought to probe the feasibility of Mr. Agyepong’s aspiration.
“They will listen to me,” said the politician. “First and foremost, we need to know that we need someone who would speak the truth always to Ghanaians. We cannot spend what we do not have. Our budget is always in deficit; we need to cut our coats according to the size of cloth we have. We need to be truthful to Ghanaians. For instance, if we cannot construct new roads and put together a proper maintenance review. We like constructing new things without providing any form of maintenance for the old ones.”
Sounding audacious, Agyepong who has been instrumental in the success of the NPP emphasized that it is imperative to ensure value for money and selflessness.
“The value system in this country has disappeared, it has collapsed. Those are the changes I believe it is time for a new dawn, a new dimension, and a new direction. It is very important that we drive that kind of change in this country and let people know that being in office doesn’t mean enriching yourself; rather, you’re there to serve,” he remarked while promising a lean government.
“Appointees go for vetting and you see chiefs in their full regalia escorting him to vetting. They create the impression that there’s something juicy to lick. We have become enablers. That has to stop.
“I will have no time for that kind of thing because I have no time for materialism. I will be very different, very tough. The constitution says we should have 19 ministers. I will not exceed that.”
In the last couple of months, a section of Ghanaians have been calling for the resignation of President Nana Akufo-Addo following record inflation and the government's handling of the economic crisis.
The president has admitted that times are hard economically and that his government is working assiduously to provide relief to the citizenry.
These views were contained in his October 30, 2022 address to the nation on the state of the economy.
