Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy, has opened up on his presidential ambitions and is hopeful the New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates will give him the nod.
He said his current position would not prevent him from engaging in active politics hence has not been forthright in making known his intentions.
According to Dr Apraku, a former Minister of Trade and Industry, since people in the NPP have presidential ambitions, he also has presidential ambitions adding that “everybody wants to be a leader in whatever it is that they do and I do have presidential ambitions, maybe I have not been so forthright as others, partly because of the work that I do”.
He indicated that people were not allowed to engage directly in politics while they hold certain positions, for instance, people may be in a position just for purposes of discussion and ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Macroeconomic Policy supposed to work with the Minister of Finance and all the others.
Dr Apraku, a former Member of Parliament for Offinso, for an example, stated that “maybe the Minister of Finance of Ghana is also running for or anticipating running and you are running, you cannot work together, we are supposed to suppress our interest, not publicly display our interest and such declaration can also impede my work as a commissioner due to conflict of interest.
“If there is a problem in Ghana, God forbid, and ECOWAS delegation is coming and I am NPP running for presidential position and there is a problem with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), my colleagues may because of this not take position that may not be good for ECOWAs and for this reason they do not allow us to play politics.
But then not to think about or even do something without publically displaying your ambition, my sense of it is when the right time comes and then we go through the processes, God gives me the strength, I will also join the race,” Dr Apraku contended. –myjoyonline.com
