[ 2016-11-11 ]

UPP’s Odike declares support for Akufo-Addo
The flagbearer of the United Progressive Party
(UPP) has declared his support for flagbearer of
the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo ahead of the 2016 polls.

Akwasi Addai Odike, whose leadership in the party
is being challenged in the court, said the NPP
leader is the ideal person to alleviate the
hardship of Ghanaians.

“Nana Addo is a very humble person, very affable
and he is a man of intelligence so we believe that
if this man is at the helm of affairs of this
nation, we can advise him in so many ways to
change the fortunes of this country for better,”
he said.

The embattled UPP leader made these remarks during
an interview with Accra-based Citi FM on
Thursday.

There has been an intense internal wrangling
within the UPP prior to the opening of nomination
by the Electoral Commission (EC) in September.

While one faction believes Mr Odike is the right
person to lead the party in the December polls,
others hold a contrary view.

The issue took a different twist when the faction
challenging Mr Odike’s leadership headed to the
High Court to restrain him from holding himself as
the flagbearer of the party.

The faction succeeded in securing an injunction on
the candidacy of Mr Odike, citing the EC as a
second defendant.

As a result, when the EC Chair, Charlotte Osei
announced the list of disqualified and qualified
presidential candidates on October 10, the UPP
leader was not added.

The decision by the EC to head to the Supreme
Court (SC) to seek review of a ruling in a case
brought against it by one of the disqualified 12
presidential candidates resulted in the extension
of the nomination period.

The apex court ordered the EC to give an
opportunity to the candidates to make corrections
on their nomination forms, however, Mr Odike wrote
to the Commission withdrawing his nomination.

The reasons he cited for his withdrawal has not
been made public.

Speaking a day after the Commission announced the
list of seven presidential candidates who would be
contesting the polls, he said since he could not
contest the elections, he will support the NPP
candidate.

Mr Odike who said he supported the candidate of
the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC)
in 2012, he believes this time around Nana
Akufo-Addo has the diligence for the job.

According to him, if President Mahama is given 100
years he would still be unable to deliver to the
satisfaction of Ghanaians.

“He has proven that he cannot deliver. President
Mahama’s economic policies have saddled this
country. He doesn’t deserve a renewed
mandate,” Mr Odike said.

“We are throwing our support to the candidate of
the NPP simply because his vision and our vision
is almost the same, we believe in
industrialization, we think that industries is the
best way to turn around the fortunes of this
country for the better,” he said.

Source - Joyfm

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