Presidential candidate aspirant, Joe Ghartey, has urged delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect a compassionate, experienced and trustworthy presidential candidate to help the party win the 2024 general election.
“The party needs someone who is loyal, experienced, trustworthy and also has compassion to lead NPP to win the elections and delegates should do the needful by voting for him if they want the party to break the eight years of political party myth in 2024,” he stated.
Mr Ghartey, Member of Parliament for Essikado/Ketan Constituency in the Western Region and former Minister of Railways Development, indicated that he had been a member of the NPP since 1992 when the party was formed, and had since touted the ideals and campaigned for the party to move the country forward.
Addressing NPP delegates and some executives, Mr Ghartey explained that railway transport was his priority and his intention to focus on transportation infrastructure to develop the country to always strive to move forward and not backwards.
“As Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the “Justice for All” programme I initiated has decongested the prisons, reduced the number of remand persons to nine per cent from 33 per cent when it moved the court into the prisons to grant relief to people who were unjustifiably incarcerated.
“The decision to introduce such life-touching programme was realised after visiting Kumasi Central Prison, where he saw the place was overcrowded, during which he met a young lady who had been jailed in unfortunate circumstances.
“Other African countries like Kenya have adopted the programme to help reduce the number of remand prisoners in the prisons in their countries so these initiatives made me excited, because it is all about making difference wherever I find myself in serving the citizenry.
The NPP has set November 4, 2023 for its presidential primary to select a flagbearer for the general elections in 2024 and Mr Ghartey, former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament will face Dr Afriyie Akoto, former Minister of Food and Agriculture; Alan Kyerematen, former Minister of Trade and Industry and Boakye Agyako, former Minister of Energy.
Others are Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central in the Central Region, Kwabena Agyapong, former General Secretary of NPP, Francis Addai-Nimoh and former MP for Mampong Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
The rest are Dr Konadu Apraku, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration alongside Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Kwadwo Poku, a businessman, who have all declared their intention to contest in the upcoming presidential primary to seek mandate to lead NPP ahead of 2024 polls.
