The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party for the December elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has declared that he would not allow the quest for political power to drive him into making promises that he cannot fulfill. He told a forum of the Tertiary Education Students' Confederacy (TESCON) and the youth wing of the NPP at the Kumasi Polytechnic that the various promises he had made were carefully thought out and analysed, and the conclusion reached was that they were attainable. He, therefore, challenged those who were disputing some of the promises, including the free senior high school education and the Inner City Development Fund, to prove why they could not be fulfilled instead of attacking his personality. Nana Akufo-Addo was in Kumasi to kick-start his “Restore Hope” tour in the Ashanti Region. His running mate, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, accompanied him. They were given a rousing welcome in the party’s stronghold, Ashanti Region, last Friday. The forum turned into a rally as the number of party faithful who turned out to listen to the flag bearer and his running mate increased. Nana Akufo-Addo indicated that the fact that President Mills had failed to fulfill the major promises he made to the people of Ghana did not mean he (Akufo-Addo) would also fail the people when he was elected as President of Ghana. Nana Akufo-Addo said President Mills had no justification asking to be given another four years in power since he had only inflicted pain on Ghanaians. Stressing that the time when politicians could use lies to move people to their side was gone, the NPP leader pointed out the need for politicians to abide by the rules of the game to help build a strong democracy. He reiterated that it was unacceptable for only the rich in society to provide the best education for their children and said, “This is why I am appealing to God to give me the Presidency and this will be the thing of the past.” Nana Akufo-Addo also gave the assurance that the welfare of teachers would receive prime attention under his presidency. He said having gone round the country; he was worried about youth unemployment and pointed out that a government that was unable to fight youth unemployment to appreciable levels was not worth another term in office. Touching on the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Nana Akufo-Addo gave the assurance that under his presidency no beneficiary would be sacked for political reasons. He spoke against the manipulation of the police for political reasons and said that was dangerous to the development of the country's democracy. Expressing concern about “too much poverty” in the country, the NPP flag bearer said, “God did not create Ghana for the people to be poor.” “We have what it takes to improve the lives of the people but what is needed is a government that would drive the machine effectively.” Nana Akufo-Addo described his running mate as an economic guru whose presence in the political arena had further confused the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He expressed regret that the NDC continued to insult Bawumia after his “excellent lecture” on the economy instead of analysing what he said, and called on party supporters to hard work to ensure victory for them in the December elections. Dr Bawumia was happy to see the energy from the party supporters in the Ashanti Region. He stated that “the economy is in a terrible state” and reminded the NDC that they could not use propaganda to manage the economy. Dr Bawumia was convinced that a government led by Nana Akufo-Addo was capable of making Ghana the economic hub of West Africa.