Tumultuous Welcome For Akufo-Addo In Tamale

Tens and tens of thousands of Tamale residents poured out onto the streets, on Wednesday, August 31, 2016, to welcome the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his running mate, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to the Metropolis, as the pair toured the Northern Regional capital.

Ordinarily a journey of some 25 minutes, from Savelugu to Tamale, it took the NPP delegation some 4 hours to make this same journey, as human and vehicular traffic, described as unprecedented in the political history of Tamale, ensured that the NPP flagbearer was given a tumultuous, rousing welcome into the capital. 

Amidst chants of “Nana oo Nana”, “Shei ko Shei”, to wit “whatever be the case he will get down”, and “change is coming”, market women abandoned their wares, business owners came out of their shops, whilst commercial drivers parked their vehicles, all eager to catch a glimpse of the NPP flagbearer

As the chants echoed loudly across Tamale, thousands of onlookers rushed towards the principal streets of Tamale, to hail the arrival of the NPP presidential candidate and his team.

Visibly excited and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for his candidature, Nana Akufo-Addo, told the thousands of residents, who later gathered at the Zogbeli park, that he was confident that Tamale had joined in the “chorus for change”.

Having announced the ‘1-District-1-Factory’ policy, ‘1-Village-1-Dam’ policy, the diversification of the country’s agriculture, the revival of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the effective implementation of the Free SHS policy, the setting up of an Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), the restoration of teacher and nursing training allowances, amongst others, the NPP flagbearer assured residents of Tamale that he was committed to fulfilling each and every one of these promises, when, God-willing, he wins this year’s election.

“I am not going to tell the Ghanaian people that I am going to do something when I know I cannot do it. I will never, ever lie to the people of Ghana. I will never do that. I have too much respect and love for Ghanaians to do that to them,” he reiterated.

With the Northern Region being the 9th region the NPP flagbearer has visited, since he began the 1st phase of his national tour, ahead of the December elections, Nana Akufo-Addo stated that “everywhere I have gone, there is a strong chorus of change for Ghana. And that chorus of change is taking the NPP and its candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to victory in December.”

He continued, “I was coming to make an appeal to the people of Tamale to join this chorus, but, I can see from this massive crowd that you have joined this chorus for change already.”

The change the NPP is assuring Ghanaians of, he indicated, will mean that “the years of stagnation and recession under John Dramani Mahama will be coming to an end, for the years of progress and prosperity under Nana Akufo-Addo to begin.”