A member of the New Patriotic Party campaign team, Alan Kyerematen, has asked followers of the party to unite behind the leadership of the party to prosecute its agenda of retaining power at the December elections. Alan Kyerematen, also a former Trade Minister, made the appeal at the NPP’s national campaign rally at Kasoa in the Central Region on Sunday to outdoor presidential candidate, Nana Addo Danwkah Akufo-Addo and elected parliamentary candidates. He told the milling crowd that he had always believed that NPP commanded a huge following, however he was marvelled by the massive turnout and wished Sunday was the date for the December polls for the NPP to show its class. Alan reminded NPP followers at the rally that all seventeen persons who contested the party’s flag-bearer position in December 2007, were united in support of helping to achieve the party’s objective of retaining power and that it would be in order for the rank and file to emulate them and forge ahead in unity. He described the December polls as a champion of champions encounter, explaining that the NPP and NDC had each won national elections twice and that December would prove a defining moment for the two sides. He also said the party had assembled the best of materials to defeat the NDC, referring to members of the NPP’s leadership as ‘Black Stars’ players, with Nana Addo being skipper Stephen Appiah, Osafo Maafo is goalkeeper Richard Kingston, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey is central defender and deputy skipper John Mensah, Vice President Aliu Mahama is Sulley Muntari and he, Alan being midfielder Michael Essien. He said with such an array of skilful players, Ghanaians have no reason to change government because regime changes are done for non-performance, emphasising that all in the NDC, CPP and other political parties have better lives today because of the NPP’s good management of the national economy. Former Finance Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo said there is every need to compare the records of the NPP and NDC, and that calls for the rejection of such an exercise are signs of illiteracy. “We need to compare to see who did better,” he said to wild cheers from the party supporters. He said the NDC does not deserve to be returned to power because it failed to run the nation’s affairs properly. Former NPP General Secretary, Dan Botwe urged the party’s followers not to be deceived into believing that the sheer numbers would automatically translate into an electoral victory and urged them to ensure that their siblings and children who have just attained the voting age registered with the Electoral Commission to enable them vote for the party. Author: Isaac Yeboah