The National Chairman of NDC Hon. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo files nomination today and below is the full speech he delivered.
REMARKS BY HON. SAMUEL OFOSU AMPOFO AT THE FILING OF NOMINATION FOR RE-ELECTION AS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC)AT THE PARTY HEADQUARTERS ON 9TH NOVEMBER, 2022
Thank you all for coming out in your numbers to show love and support as I begin this journey for my re-election as the National Chairman of our dear party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). As many of you may be aware, the past few days have been very difficult for me and my family. We lost our beloved mother, Mary Gyawubea Badu – our cherished matriarch and the rock of our lives. I was on a campaign tour in the Western North region and some parts of the Ashanti region when I received a call that my mother had passed on. I, therefore, had to suspend my campaign and rushed back to Koforidua. My mother, throughout her life, was a strong woman who believed in dignity and hard work. One of the many things my dear mother taught me as a child growing up in Kyebi-Adukrom was never to give up in the pursuit of the things I hold dear. She taught me to be resolute in my convictions and to always stand by the truth. Standing here before you, seeking to file my nomination for the renewal of my mandate to lead our great party and work tirelessly to bring us back to power is an honor to her memory. Many of you have reached out to my family and I in diverse ways even as we try to come to terms with this great loss.
May her lovely and gentle soul rest peacefully in the Lord’s bosom. I am thankful to you all, especially the Council of Elders of our Party, H.E. former President John Dramani Mahama, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Dr. Duffour, the Parliamentary caucus of the NDC, other leading members of the party, the Professional Forum, the numerous delegates and party activists, all workers, and friends who have visited me and my family at home to commiserate with us.
Special Mentions:
Over the past four years, I have met and worked with some amazing people whose commitment and dedication to this party remain steady and unwavering even in very challenging times. God has also blessed me with great and selfless helpers who have contributed in varying ways to make an otherwise heavy burden light to carry. I wish to particularly thank H.E. John Dramani Mahama and Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang for their unflinching support throughout my tenure. I am also grateful to Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu and the entire membership of our Council of Elders. I am equally grateful to all members of the National Executive Committee, the minority NDC parliamentary Caucus, Regional Executives as well as Constituency and Branch Executives. I wish to also thank all members and former appointees who have contributed in diverse ways in bringing our party this far. To our rank and file across the country, I salute your resilience, sometimes in the face of great adversity you need such love and comradeship; this is a great testament to our enduring tradition that is always willing and ready to put Ghana in her rightful place.
Motivations
Comrades, as many of you are aware, I started serving our great party at a very young age and I was privileged to have worked with and learned from the very best people in our great party. Throughout my life, I have contributed to the growth and development of our party and government in diverse ways. At the party level, I am on record as the longest-serving National Organizer, having served for 9 years and before rising to the position of National Chairman, I had also served as a member of the National Re-organization committee, NEC member, National Executive Committee, Director of Elections, and Vice Chairman of the NDC. Through my role as national organizer, we introduced various reforms and innovations that culminated in the party’s victory in 2008.
In government, I served as District Chief Executive in 1993 and as Deputy Eastern Regional Minister under his H.E. Jerry John Rawlings and later as Eastern Regional Minister and the Local government Minister under H.E. Prof. J.E.A Mills, and also served as the Board Chairman of Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority under H.E. John Dramani Mahama.
I assumed the leadership of the NDC when the fortunes of the party were declining. In 2016, we lost several parliamentary seats and lost the presidential elections too. In just two years in office as chairman of the party together with my team of dynamic executives, we were able to increase our seats in parliament from 106 to 137, and our presidential votes moved from 4.8million to about 6.3 million. We also worked together to secure the election of the Speaker, the first time in our history that an opposition party won this position. We would have had the majority of seats in Parliament, but for the arm-twisting through abuse of incumbency by this failed Akufo-Addo government. These are successes we chalked up after only two years in office. I still believe we won the 2020 election.
We introduced transparency in the distribution of resources and for the first time, parliamentary candidates, constituency executives, and polling agents received their allowances on time. Again, the campaign was managed by the party itself both at the regional and constituency levels where party chairmen were made campaign managers. As part of our inclusivity agenda as a social democratic party, the party established a Disability Desk to promote the participation of persons with disabilities in the activities of the party across the country. We have diligently addressed the structural challenges of the party with great success in addition to developing a strategic document (blueprint) for VICTORY in 2024.
Our preparation for the 2024 election started immediately after the supreme court’s unanimous seven verdicts by organizing for the first time in the history of our party National, Regional, and constituency retreats to review the outcome of the 2020 election and developed strategies for the 2024 election. Comrades I am happy to report that a strategic document for the 2024 election has been developed by a Strategic Committee set up by the party. We, therefore, have a blueprint to guide us to prosecute the winning agenda for the 2024 election.
And also, as part of our efforts to recognize the contributions of our old executives and appointees, we instituted a program of visitation to our old folks across the country, which has served as a strong motivation for our party members.
Comrades let me hasten to add that these successes did not come on a silver platter. As many of you are aware, I have been persecuted by the NPP government for the past few years. I have made as many as 70 appearances in court, and have had to juggle this with my party work and the 2020 campaign. Far from breaking me, these persecutions have rather strengthened me and given me more courage to lead and work for the party. As it is wisely said, you don’t change an able commander when the nation is at war. We are once again going to confront the battle of wrestling power from this insensitive NPP government to restore hope to the suffering majority of Ghanaians. I am being prosecuted in court for working for the party. Whether the prosecution is entirely external or has elements of internal conspiracy, I don’t know but the Lord is certainly on our side.
Comrades, ever since I made known my intentions to contest for re-election to lead the NDC once again, many of you have shown me great support and I truly appreciate all your calls, messages of encouragement, and support in diverse ways.
Today is not a day for long speeches, but even as I continue to mourn the passing of my mother, duty calls that I work hard for my re-election and with your support, we can rescue our beloved country from the clutches of the Akuffo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government that has brought untold hardship on Ghanaians through bad governance, economic mismanagement, and corruption. Never in the history of this country have citizens protested for the resignation of any President and his Vice.
I would have loved to visit every delegate personally to solicit support for my re-election, but many of you have intimated to me and also reassured me of your support. Nevertheless, I will do the very best that I can under the current circumstances to meet as many of you in your constituencies and Regions as possible in the spirit of comradeship.
As we draw closer to the 2024 general elections, our slogan shall be ‘No retreat’ No surrender”
I pledge to
1. To continue to build an all-inclusive party, united and focused under the guidance of our core values of freedom, transparency, solidarity, probity, and accountability.
2. Review our party constitution to reflect the new reality of the role of our council of elders and our lived experiences.
3. Review and synchronize the party’s structure to restore consistency and institutional efficiency at all levels.
4. Develop a broad management and operational policy framework to guide recurrent challenges that often require resolution at the National and Regional levels
5. Work in unity with all elected officers and the council of elders to restore the centrality and integrity of our party
In collaboration with the NDC Professional Forum and under the auspices of the Party School, I further pledge to
- To train over 80,000 polling agents one year before the 2024 election
● Assign a Lawyer to every Constituency to offer legal representation to the party and also serve as a constituency collation agent
● Establish a Business & Economic Desk in every constituency to oversee pragmatic economic programs to empower our party members.
● Set up a Security & Intelligence Unit at the party’s headquarters to supervise the overall security operations of the party.
● Formalize the project “Adopt a Constituency and Branch” initiative and appoint a National Coordinator to oversee the Programme.
● Ensure that Regional Communication Officers attend NEC meetings to enable them effectively communicate decisions from NEC to party members.
● In consultation with NEC, ensure that the Appointment of MMDCEs is done strictly in consultation with Constituency Structures when we form the next government in 2025. This will prevent the unpleasant situation where appointments are made without the knowledge and active participation of the party at the constituency level.
- To roll out a national welfare policy that has been developed to cater for the welfare needs of our party members at all levels
Finally, I wish to respectfully and humbly urge and entreat all delegates to vote for me come December 17th. Be assured that a vote for me is a vote for unity, a stronger party, inclusiveness, hard work, and ultimately victory in 2024. I am the people’s chairman and I have an unfinished agenda, vote for me to lead the NDC to win the 2024 elections and form the next government.
Let’s focus on things that unite us rather than what divides us and I will continue to build bridges and not walls
I sincerely thank you all individually and collectively for your unflinching support.
Remember there is a time to retreat and a time to fight!
Our cliché for 2024 remains “No Retreat, No Surender” !!!
God bless you.
God bless the NDC
God bless our Homeland Ghana.
