3 months into Nana Addo’s govt, Agric Minister runs for President …starts agenda 2024 campaign In Kumasi

The 71-year-old newly appointed Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has started meeting constituency chairmen of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as part of his campaign to become presidential candidate of the party during the 2024 elections, The New Publisher has gathered.

Apart from Dr. Afriyie Akoto, a former MP for Ofinso North, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku also had his name popping up with his campaign posters going viral over the weekend.

The photo used for Dr. Appraku’s campaign posters looks like a recently taken one and persons close to him have said the campaign poster is not a fake document. Details of his Dr. Appraku’s ways and means are however scanty at this point.

Dr. Afriyie Akoto on the other hand was reported to have met all the 47constituency chairmen of the NPP in the Ashanti Region at a closed door meeting on Saturday. The venue was said to be his residence in Kumasi during which among other issues, he made the chairmen aware of his presidential ambition.

Mobile phones and other devices that can record audio or visuals were said to have been collected from anyone who attended the meeting and handed back to them only after it was over.

Dr. Akoto would be hitting the other 15 regions of the country to continue his subtle but strategic agenda to become the NPP flag-bearer after Nana Akufo-Addo.

The reports are coming at a time the Nana Addo led government is yet to appoint  deputy ministers, heads of institutions, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs)

It is therefore surprising that a Minister of Cabinet ranking would be lacing boots at the threshold of a new government taking off for a second term tenure.

Saturday Meeting

Dr. Akoto was reported to have said it was now the turn of a native of Ashanti Region to lead the NPP to retain political power in 2024 and sustain President Akufo-Addo’s legacy.

He was reported to have explained that the NPP was an offspring of the United Party (UP), which his father, the late Baffuor Akoto, a Linguist of the Asantehene, was among the founding members.

In this regard, it is argued that he was a full blooded NPP member therefore he had every right to contest for the NPP presidential candidate position, which was now vacant.

Still using the ‘tribal card’ to woo the support of the NPP members, Dr. Akoto was reported to have said he was not impressed by the current state of road network and health facilities in the Ashanti Region.

According the reports he said even though the President Akufo-Addo’s administration had done well, more was needed to be done in these two critical sectors and as president, he would address that.

Dr. Akoto was reported to have said even though the president had not given him his backing to contest for the enviable position, he was aware that President Akufo-Addo would love to hand over power to an NPP man.

His argument, according to information, was that  other top NPP members that he was aware have presidential ambitions were secretly campaigning so he was not at fault to always start campaigning.

Interestingly, the meeting was not opened to the public. Dr. Akoto was said to have only met and address the constituency chairmen, first vice chairmen and second vice chairmen, separately in his house.

He interacted with NPP constituency secretaries the same day. Similar meetings with organizers and communication officers were scheduled for Sunday and Monday, respectively.