Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng is reported to have described the December delegates' conference of the New Patriotic Party as a battle greater than the one fought by the nation's founders fifty years ago to win independence. According to the Heritage newspaper, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KATH) said this when he presented his nomination papers and a cheque for ¢250m to the party General Secretary Nana Ohene Ntow on Tuesday. He described the person who would lead the NPP as someone with the boldness of a soldier, the peace of a Catholic priest and the heart of a pathological surgeon. According to him, he is in the race to help build a strong infrastructure, wipe away the tears of the party's foot soldiers and founding members such as R.R Amponsah, Da Rocha, among others. "I want to wipe away the tears of such people and give them hope; the sick will be healed and comforted, motivate them and put bread on their tables," he promised. Professor Frimpong Boateng, who was dressed in full military regalia and accompanied by some of his lieutenants, said the time has come for the party to choose someone who is disciplined, compassionate and easily accessible to the people and someone whose yes is yes and no is no. He added that, his administration would be based on technical development where within the shortest possible time, the country would be able to manufacture things such as hoes, cutlasses and tractors. Prof. Frimpong Boateng said the country has a brighter future but needed to be committed and believe in oneself, stressing that no Western country wants to see Africa developed and therefore what the country needed are credible partners who are ready to help and not destroy. On the question of not being a party man, Prof. Boateng said when one goes to the restaurant, it is only the waiters and waitresses that one sees while the chefs who do the cooking hide behind the kitchen. In the same vein, many were those who worked behind the scenes when the party was in opposition. "Let those who are saying so compare what they have gained in government to what they did for the party when it was in opposition. Some of us worked in the background helping the constituencies and other individuals." Nana Ohene-Ntow used the occasion to debunk a story in an Accra based private newspaper that he has returned Alan Kyerematen's nomination papers to him to enable him (Alan) correct some detected discrepancies that if left uncorrected, could derail Alan Kyerematen's presidential ambition. The paper reported that the NPP General Secretary has also failed to hand over any of the filed nomination papers to the party's Vetting Committee as he was supposed to have done. The NPP scribe described the said newspaper publication as unfortunate and very vicious. "It is a blatant lie and I want to emphasize that no aspirant has come back to me to take any blank nomination form.” He said he binds every form under lock and key and directly hands them over to the Vetting Committee and has therefore not undermined the integrity of the vetting process. He said the publication is meant to sow seeds of discord in the party and assured all the aspirants that the party will manage the process fairly. He further called on followers of the aspirants to play by the rules in ensuring that the party registers resounding victory in the 2008 elections. Source: The Heritage