WELCOME ADDRESS TO THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2014

WELCOME ADDRESS TO THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY ANNUAL CONFERENCE
 BY JAKE OTANKA OBETSEBI-LAMPTEY,
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY
TAMALE 12TH APRIL 2014.

Kukrudu.

On behalf of the National Executive Committee I welcome you all to historic Tamale, today the capital of the Northern Region but in times past the capital of the Northern Territories.

The theme for this year’s conference is “our roots, our strength, our future”. It is therefore by divine intervention that we should be here on this date. For sixty years and one day ago a major pillar of our tradition was launched here in Tamale. The date was 11th April 1954 when, supported by the Ghana Congress Party and the Muslim Association Party, the Northern People’s Party (N.P.P.) was launched by Chief S.D. Dombo and other icons of our tradition; including amongst others Alhaji Yakuku Tali, Tolon-Na, J.B. Braimah, Mumuni Bawumia, Alhaji B.K. Adama, Jato Kaleo, Adam Amandi, Abayifa Karbo, Imoro Salifu and the then young H.E. R.I. Alhassan in support; and most especially the man who continues today to champion the new N.P.P., the man who chairs our National Council of Elders and who chairs the National Elections Committee who have organized our conference and election, Hon. C.K. Tedam.

Mr. Tedam personifies our theme, he is a visible reminder of our roots; his commitment to our vision, the consistent sacrifices he makes to help our Party is our real strength and his commitment to lifting our people from poverty and ignorance is the future to which we are all pledged.

From today, by the decision of the National Executive Committee we shall honour every 11th April as an N.P.P. flag day.

We also honour today and dedicate this conference to the late H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Former Vice President of the Republic of Ghana.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama, affable, diligent and hard working public servant, entrepreneur, community worker, a patron of sport and culture, philanthropist, politician and statesman.

Born on the 3rd March 1946 in Yendi in the Northern Region of Ghana, he attended the Government Secondary School in Tamale from 1960 to 1966 and proceeded to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from 1967 to 1971 where he obtained a BSc Degree in Building Technology. He later acquired a certificate in Project Planning, Management and Leadership from GIMPA in 1980.

He served as a construction engineer in the State Housing Corporation, rising rapidly through the managerial ranks of the state institution from 1971 to 1982 when he boldly branched out on his own, setting up the Lidra Construction Company.

Operating adroitly behind the scenes in the northern part of the country in an era when only brave business people could associate with competitive politics, “Baby face” or Lidra as his political godfathers affectionately called him, was selected by then Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the year 2000 as Vice Presidential Candidate.

The NPP won the election, making Alhaji Aliu Mahama the first ever and to-date the only Muslim to occupy the high office of Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. He served with distinction and was rewarded with a second term as the intrepid duo of Kufuor and Aliu went from strength to strength in lifting Ghana to new heights of prosperity, social cohesion and democratic consolidation. Aliu Mahama was open, honest and forthright. He radiated a sense of humility and managed to unify people around him. He brought a sense of dedication, intensity and discipline to all he did.

He is an invaluable icon to the NPP and will be fondly remembered. The NPP will always hold him up in his own pantheon of achievement.

Today in hallowed Tamale we can once more shout the battle cry of the Northern Peoples Party. Unity. United we stand divided we fall.

Finally I put us all in God’s hands, praying for travelling mercies and for wisdom to choose the best men and women to guide our party to victory in 2016 so that we can start to move our country forward again.

God bless Ghana, God bless the NPP.