Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate for flagbearer, has halted his campaign tour in the Ashanti Region.
This comes after the passing of Mrs. Theresa Kufuor, the former First Lady and spouse of John Agyekum Kufuor, the former President.
Prior to the NPP’s presidential primaries on November 4, the former agriculture minister indicated that a fresh date will be announced for the start of his campaign trip to the Ashanti region.
At a news conference held in Kumasi on October 2, 2023, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto made the statement and urged party members to choose him as their flagbearer so he could lead the group to success in the general elections of 2024.
“As a mark of respect for Theresa Kufuor’s passing, we have halted our campaign tour of the Ashanti Region.
On Sunday, October 1, Mrs. Kufuor passed away in the company of her family at her Peduase home. She was 87 years old.
Then, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto urged Ghanaians to vote for him in the NPP presidential primary, especially those who are NPP delegates.
He added that his track record makes him the clear favorite and that the majority of NPP delegates who are farmers benefited from the policies and programs he initiated while serving as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
The majority of the farmers I encountered in the various regions are also delegates and executives of party constituencies.
The people who will attest to me are the one million farmers. Ask any farmer how I affected their lives while I served as the minister of food and agriculture. He claimed that they will come clean to you.
Dr. Akoto formally announced his resignation in order to concentrate on his presidential aspirations and steer the New Patriotic Party into the general elections in 2024. He was one of the top five candidates running in the November 4 primary.
For two terms, he represented the Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, as a member of parliament.
Prior to his appointment as the Minister for Food and Agriculture in 2017, he served as the Deputy Ranking Member and then the substantive Ranking Member for the Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs in Parliament.
Following the super delegates conference, the former Food and Agriculture Minister is engaged in a heated race against Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong, and Francis Addai Nimo.