Former Member of Parliament and Minister of Regional Cooperation and NEPAD, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, has stated this is his time to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its Presidential Candidate.
He stressed that he came third when he burst to the political scene and contested John Kufuor, Nana Akufo-Addo and others in the NPP presidential primaries in 1998 with the assurance from delegates that his time would come.
“It was obvious from Sunyani that maybe it wasn’t my time because people like President Kufuor, Prof Adu Boahen and even Nana Akufo-Addo at that time. They had all been on the stage for a much longer period before I came to Ghana.”
“But for the short period that I was there, I came third with people like even JH Mensah who was in the race and many others who were more experienced. It was because of the confidence people had in me.”
He said his comeback in 2007 was not of much essence because a lot of party members contested, splitting the votes among them to the extent that even if a no-body contested, he would have garnered some votes.
Dr Apraku further stated, however, that Nana Akufo-Addo and he were the two closest persons to Prof Adu Boahen, the 1992 Presidential Candidate, and everybody urged him, in 2007, to allow the current president to go because he had been in the game longer.
“In fact, when we left Sunyani, the nickname they gave me was ‘Green Grass’ because ‘you are young and green grass that will come later’ and it was very difficult for me to have been able to galvanise enough votes from the same plate with Nana Akufo-Addo because he was older than I am and had been in it far longer than I had.
“I am not surprised. I feel there is time for everything and I sincerely believe this is the time.”
Dr Apraku made these known in an interview with Media General‘s Alfred Ocansey on The Keypoints on Saturday, February 25.
He declared intention to contest the NPP presidential primaries to be held later in the year.
The former Offinso North MP said so far he has toured 14 out of the 16 regions of Ghana on the first phase of his campaign.
He said so far he has embarked on a targeted campaign since delegates will choose the 2024 flagbearer for the NPP.
“I feel like I am very prepared for the challenge ahead. That is not to say anybody is not prepared. I feel confident and that my background, my experience, my training, the extensive contacts that I have built internationally will do me a lot of good if I were selected as our candidate and then as the president of the country.”