It would probably go down in history as the first of its kind. In his tour of the Central Region at the weekend, the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party held a midnight rally at Odoben to an enthusiastic crowd.
By 01:00 hours Sunday morning, the people were still on the streets dancing to 'Go! Go! High!' as Nana Akufo-Addo and his team rounded off their day's work in the Region which has become a hot battle ground for the two leading parties.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 64, accompanied by his running mate, Mahamudu Bawumia, 44, used the occasion to speak strongly against ethnocentric electioneering, a tactic employed by the National Democratic Congress in the Central Region in particular.
John Evans Atta Mills, a Fante, has on three occasions lost elections in the Region where 16 of the 19 constituencies are currently held by the NPP.Apart from his message about making education his top priority, the people of the Central Region gave the biggest cheer where ever the NPP flag bearer spoke against "tribal politics".
He pleaded with them not to allow ethnic considerations to influence their decisions regarding who to vote for in the impending presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, what should be given serious consideration is the leadership track records of the candidates, "their leadership credentials", as well as the vision they have to propel the nation’s development agenda, and whether or not they possess the requisite ability to translate their vision into a reality.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s visit to P C Appiah-Ofori’s constituency came three days after Prof Mills, accompanied by Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and others went to the area with their campaign message of ‘tribal politics’ and NPP-bashing in their attempt to win the hearts of the electorate in their home region.
While on his third comprehensive tour of the Central Region, Prof Mills and members of his campaign team repeatedly stressed the need for the electorate to support the NDC to win the December elections because the party’s flag bearer is their own kinsman.
But Nana Akufo-Addo believes that apart from the fact that playing the ethnic card poses a serious threat to the nation’s unity and social cohesion, the epic December general elections are not about the ethnicities of the candidates, but about who can deliver to secure the future of the nation.
"The December election is not about whether you are a Fante or an Akyem. It is about the future development of our nation. That is why you have to reject politicians who are playing the ethnic card and want you to vote for them because they are from this or that Region. That is not correct; that is dangerous for the nation’s unity because we are all one people with a common destiny. Tribal politics is backward and reactionary; we want progressive politics of unity and oneness; we are moving forward!" he stated forcefully to loud shouts of approval.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s whistle-stops, which saw him addressing residents of towns and villages from the roof of his car was adjudged by members of his campaign team as more effective than planned rallies.
This saw hundreds of locals who may otherwise not have attended rallies troop to the town centre, where loud speakers in a moving campaign vehicle were blurring tunes such as ‘Go! Go! High!’ and ‘I’m Moving Forward!’. Old women, men and kids could be seen on the streets merrily dancing to the music and doing the kangaroo dance wherever the campaign team went.
The attendance was so massive and electrifying at Mankessim in the Mfantseman West constituency Saturday, just as it was at all the towns covered in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam and Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa constituencies.
This got many people wondering over some opinion polls which concluded that the Central Region had fallen to the NDC. "Obviously those parts of the Central Region where Mills is winning are yet to be drawn on the map!" said Kennedy Agyapong, the Chairman of the NPP Campaign Monitoring Team in the Central Region.
Nana Akufo-Addo and other members of his campaign team were overwhelmed by the rousing welcome that greeted them in the towns they visited. "I am so overwhelmed by this massive crowd and I wonder why some people sit in Accra and claim that we are losing grounds in the Central Region. I wish the elections were held today, for NPP would surely win," Alan Kyeramaten remarked at a mammoth rally at Ajumako.
The determination of the people to support the ruling party to retain power was given serious expression by them, some communities kept wake till 12:50 awaiting the NPP Presidential Candidate and his entourage.
Nana Akufo-Addo urged the people not go give in to the negative propaganda of the opposition NDC, which he said does not have any good intentions for the nation, but support the NPP to retain power to continue the good works already started.
Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a former presidential aspirant and a member of the campaign team, urged the people to renew the mandate of the NPP to enable Nana Akufo-Addo build upon the good legacy of President Kufuor.
He noted that the December election is about who can offer the most effective political leadership that could help accelerate the nation’s development, insisting that with his 31 years of frontline political experience none of the other contestants can measure up to Nana Akufo-Addo.