Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flag-bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party, has indicated, unequivocally, that he will not back down from his renowned ‘all-die-be-die’ mantra ahead of the 2012 elections.
The opposition leader in February this year stirred the hornet’s nest when he made the controversial ‘all-die-be-die’ statement in the Eastern Region, admonishing party members to be vigilant and not succumb to intimidation from political opponents.
On Saturday, Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Rashid Pelpuo, asked the Minority to erase the catchphrase from its political discourse, fearing that it is becoming the harbinger for the unnecessary rise in political tension in the country.
Director of Communications at the Presidency Koku Anyidoho, took the issue to a different level, and reiterated on Asempa FM that if the NPP pursue the ‘all-die-be-die’ and “make a wrong move” in the forthcoming general elections, they would be dealt with, and threw a challenge: “let them dare!”
But Nana Akufo-Addo is steadfast on his words. Addressing students of the University for Development Studies, Wa campus, he implied that he was unwavering by the threats from the Office of the President.
“No amount of lies and insults against my person or threats to me, are going to put me off,” he emphasized.
“I have never supported the use of violence in politics; not one single day have I been involved in anything to do with violence; but one thing that I have always stood for, I will never sit down to allow my fellow human being to cheat me…”
Touching on the 2012 Budget presented by the Minister of Finance, Nana Akufo-Addo chided the government over claims that 81% of the Ghana’s foreign exchange comes from export of raw material, saying it can’t guarantee prosperity for the country and create jobs for the future.
“We need to industrialised our country, and we, under my leadership, in the NPP, we have the courage, we have the rationale, we have the dedication, we have the commitment, we want by the end of the next decade, that 70% of the foreign exchange receipt of Ghana, will come from the export of industrial and value added goods and no longer raw material.”