RESIST PREACHING TRIBAL POLITICS — AKUFO-ADDO (PAGE 14)

THE Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged Ghanaians to resist the preaching of tribal politics by some political leaders as part of their political strategy to whip up tribal sentiments against the NPP.
This, he said, would not foster greater unity and peaceful co-existence among Ghanaians.
“As Ghanaians, we should not take interest in tribal politics since it could bring about division among us and take us backward. We need politics of unity and solidarity to move forward to a promising future” he stated.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who repeatedly made the appeal during the second phase of his tour of the Eastern Region, stated “we must shun politicians who come to us to preach tribal politics to whip up ethnic sentiments against other tribes and parties”.
He was speaking at separate rallies held at Akyem Oda, Bodua, Kade, Akyem Swedru, Akosombo and Agormenya in the Eastern Region on Monday and Tuesday.
In the opinion of the NPP presidential aspirant, the unity and peaceful co-existence among Ghanaians over the years had enabled the country to become an oasis of peace in the sub-region, an enviable achievement that must be protected and promoted by Ghanaians.
This, he believed, would help the country to go through another successful election to enable the country to sustain its status as a model of democracy on the African continent.
“It is for these reasons that we must not allow ourselves to be incited by some self-seeking politics who play on our rich diverse ethnic diversity to divide us”, he emphasised.
“NPP does not belong to any particularly group of people. It belongs to all of us, including the Ashantis, the Akyems, the Ewes, the Dagombas, the Gas, among others”, Nana Akufo-Addo added.
To ensure the conduct of a violence-free elections, he appealed to all stakeholders, particularly political parties and their candidates as well as the electorate to help the Electoral Commission to undertake another peaceful elections.
“This requires of us to resist the urge to engage in any electoral malpractices that could tarnish the credibility of the December elections”, he explained.
On employment, Nana Akufo-Addo pledged to use the revenue that would accrue from the country’s discovery of oil to embark on massive industrial revolution to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.
“Besides, I will also set up a $1-billion industrial fund to give the needed assistance to small scale industries to help them to expand to provide employment for the youth”, he announced.
At Akosombo, he assured the people that he would facilitate the expansion of the Juapong Textile Factory to provide employment avenues for the people of Akosombo, Juapong and their environs.
At Kade, Nana Akufo-Addo also expressed his preparedness to consult President Kufuor on how to get investors to revive the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds and pay the accumulated salary arrears of the workers.
Other speakers, including Messrs Yaw Osafo Maafo, Kwabena Agyepong, Boakye Agyarko, Felix Owusu Agyepong and Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, appealed to the electorate to consider the almost eight years of the NPP government to that of the National Democratic Congress before casting their votes in the December elections.