The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed gratitude to God for "protecting the lives" of the Majority Leader and a Deputy Minister who were both involved in separate road accidents over the weekend. Saturday, Mr. Cletus Avoka survived a serious accident on the Bolga-Zebila Road, which resulted in him being hospitalised. Sunday, the Deputy Minister for Education, Mahama Ayariga had to undergo emergency operation after reportedly suffering serious internal bleeding when his vehicle was involved in an accident on the Tamale-Bolga Road. In statement issued in Accra, Nana Addo, said the two separate accidents in less than 24 hours involving two leading politicians was "a national tragedy that God's intervention spared the nation." He called for the two unfortunate events to be, nevertheless, turned into an "opportunity for us to enhance our efforts against lawlessness on our roads." Their misadventure, he said, should help throw more public and institutional attention on the dangers on our roads and, hopefully, "trigger more action from both the authorities and road users to keep our roads safer and make travelling in Ghana not the risk-taking adventure it appears to be now." The NPP flagbearer said, "It is a big relief to all of us that my good friend Cletus and our younger colleague Mahama Ayariga are both responding positively to treatment. We thank God for protecting them. We pray for their full and speedy recovery." Source: NPP Communications Directorate