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NDP: Choosing People Over Politics

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Your Excellencies, The Chairman of the NDP, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Dear Delegates, Members of the NDP, Nananom, party supporters, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Today is a bright day in our nation�s history. Today�s Congress represents the dawn of a new era and the launching of a new Party, the National Democratic Party � a Party born out of a need to transform our nation�s future now and put Ghana, our great nation, back on the right track.

Ladies and gentlemen, I know from personal experience that failure to reach a desired result is not the lack of success. No, because we cannot fail from the collective courage of trying. Rather, failure is staying down when you trip or stumble. It's giving up when your confidence is shaken. It�s shutting down when your character is tested.

When we stumble in life; when we come face-to-face with adversity, we can choose one of two paths: we can choose to become �bitter� and shut down or we can choose to become �braver� and press on!

Ladies and gentlemen, you know me. And you know I stand before you today because I have chosen the latter: to become BOLDER and BRAVER for YOU � the people of Ghana. I have chosen to stay the course. To not give up. And to adhere to the proverb that �Stumbling is not a fall, but a sign that we are going forward�.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are, indeed, going forward � and any stumbling along the way is only a natural consequence of courageous activity. The only way to avoid a stumble is to do absolutely nothing. And to do nothing is not an option!

For those of you who know my track record, you know that I have never been one to back down in the face of difficulty or criticism. You know that I have never been one to settle and take the easy road out.I have never been one to do WHAT�S POPULAR OVER WHAT�S RIGHT to gain quick political points for personal gain. NO! That is not me and that�s NEVER been my style. Time and again, Ghanaians have seen me make tough decisions and difficult choices when easier ones were available. In the face of criticism (and personal attacks), I have taken on unpopular issues � that always put the concern for PEOPLE FIRST. Because I am � and always will be � guided by moral obligation to support the needs of the PEOPLE OVER the interest of POLITICS.

PEOPLE OVER POLITICS � that is what our Party stands for and that is what I stand for!

The NDP is founded on the belief of placing people, and the NEEDS of the ordinary Ghanaian, at the centre of our nations� development.

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This is what Our Party is calling for � we are calling for a return to the values of PEOPLE OVER POLITICS. This means reclaiming the meaning of a genuine citizens� democracy, where the best ideas flow up from communities rather than being imposed by the ruling elite. PEOPLE OVER POLITICS means reclaiming the meaning of inclusive governance, starting from the grassroots. It means placing people (not politics) at the centre of our nation�s development. It means restoring our sense of common purpose, increasing transparency and accountability.

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