Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, minister for Lands and Natural Resources has called on the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to work hard towards better governance by fulfilling the mandate and policies of the government, instead of being obsessed with winning power in 2024.
To him, the pressure being mounted to elect the flagbearer of the party two years before the 2024 election is needless, because a number of factors must be considered before the election of the flagbearer. Speaking on Joy news TV channel during the just ended national delegate conference, he warned that electing the flagbearer two years before the national election could cause problems for the party.
“You can’t just say that because we are in government and because we want to win the next election, we’ll elect our candidate two years to the general election and then he stays there; it doesn’t work like that.
“My respectful contention is that one of the most important considerations which has to be factored into when we elect our presidential candidate is that we in the NPP must be mindful that we are a ruling party, we are in government, and we are not in opposition.
“I want to submit and I want to do so forcefully that you win or lose elections when you are in government based on how you govern and not so much when you elect your candidate. Based on how you govern, based on how your country people perceive your governance – whether they are satisfied with your governance or they are not satisfied with your governance,” he said.
Mr Jinapor cautioned the party against any action that will create the impression that “somehow rather, we (NPP) are more concerned about winning election than governing.”
