After quitting the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairmanship race, Alhaji Abdul Rahman has thrown his weight behind the acting Chairman of the party, Freddie Blay.
Giving reasons for his decision, Alhaji Abdul Rahman, also known as Alhaji Short, said he was bowing to the demands of the grassroots who want the current leadership of the party maintained.
“…the overwhelming sentiment on the ground is that the national leadership that steered the party throughout the very difficult times of 2014 and 2015, and led us to victory, must, as much as possible, be maintained.”
“The message that greets us wherever we go is “Still Maintain”. It is not a protest vote against Alhaji Short or any other candidate. It is a vote of confidence in those who led us to victory, including incidentally, myself. So for this reason and being myself a strong regional chairman during those testing times, I have listened to the overwhelming voice of the Party and have decided to step down. I do so, throwing my weight behind the “Still Maintain” mantra of the grassroots.”
Alhaji Short, who has served as the Upper West Region chairman of the NPP, said he will continue to give his best to the NPP.
“As a knowledgeable, experienced, loyal and respectable leading member of the Party, I intend to focus more in helping the Party consolidate the gains it made in 2016, in every capacity that I can. I will only plead with my supporters that I do not make this decision to step down lightly but I do so for the greater interest of the NPP.”
Alhaji Short’s withdrawal left four persons vying for the NPP Chairmanship.
They are acting Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay, Stephen Ayensu Ntim, Dr Richard Amoako Baah and David Kankam Boadu.
Earlier on, Alhaji Short’s campaign team denied reports that he was forced by President Nana Akufo-Addo to drop out of the race.
His Campaign Manager, Kaena Marfo said Alhaji Short, pulled out of the race to ensure peace within the party and government.
“We the team decided that we need to withdraw from the race so that the acrimony going on will come down so the NPP government will have the peace of mind to govern,” he told Citi News.
Vetting of the aspirants began on Monday, May 28, 2018, with that of Chair aspirants slated for today, Friday.
The NPP is expected to hold its National Delegates Conference in July 2018 to elect their national executives.
Find below his full statement
WHY ALHAJI SHORT HAS STEPPED DOWN
I and my campaign, the Alhaji Short campaign Team, have been up and down the constituencies across the country, interacting with members and supporters of the New Patriotic Party, mainly constituency officers and polling station executives.
The NPP rank and file are happy with my message and my campaign style. My message is principally about strengthening the relationship between Party and Government, Party and Community, and empowering the Party to support Government in delivering on its agenda for the country, so that the people will continue to invest their votes in the NPP, and the NPP will continue to use and reap positively the benefits of power now and beyond 2020. The NPP rank and file appreciate my contribution and value to the common cause, and that has been most inspiring to me. However, the overwhelming sentiment on the ground is that the national leadership that steered the party throughout the very difficult times of 2014 and 2015 and led us to victory, must, as much as possible, be maintained.
The message that greets us wherever we go is “Still Maintain”. It is not a protest vote against Alhaji Short or any other candidate. It is a vote of confidence in those who led us to victory, including incidentally, myself. So for this reason and being myself a strong regional chairman during those testing times, I have listened to the overwhelming voice of the Party and have decided to step down. I do so, throwing my weight behind the “Still Maintain” mantra of the grassroots. It is for that reason and that reason alone that I have decided to step aside from contesting to be the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party for 2018. I know and believe that the interest of the Party is far more important than my ambition.
The NPP is a party that respects and rewards loyalty and service. Chairman Short will continue to give his optimal best to the Party. As a knowledgeable, experienced, loyal and respectable leading member of the Party, I intend to focus more in helping the Party consolidate the gains it made in 2016, in every capacity that I can. I will only plead with my supporters that I do not make this decision to step down lightly but I do so for the greater interest of the NPP. I, therefore, plead for your understanding, support and blessing.
Alhaji Short is a man of harmony, unity, loyalty and proven action. I do not want a situation which will see a conflict between party leadership and government. I do not want a situation as we witnessed in the recent past, where conflict at the national leadership level affected the image, harmony and operations of the Party. I am fully prepared to sacrifice for that. I see my decision to listen to the calls of the Party as the necessary way to go and am, therefore, very happy to go along with it.
Thank you
…Signed…
(Alhaji Abubakari Abdul Rahman)
Alhaji Short
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
