I�m Not Kufuor�s Girl

Pretty-faced Otiko Afisah Djaba, an aspiring National Women�s Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has explained the circumstances under which she is being tagged the favorite candidate of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

�Kufuor is a very influential person in our party and the only person who has gone for two terms of presidency. I have informed him of my decision to contest and asked for his support and if that is what people do not understand, then I am sorry because I did same with Alan, Nana Ado, J.H. Mensah, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and many others.

That does not mean Kufuor is financing me, else my car would not have broken down for one to be begging people to lend me a car.

�If he has money and decides to give me some cash, I would collect it because I need it. So also would I collect money from nana Addo if he gives me; after all he was my father�s lawyer,� Otiko narrated.

She added: �If you see my name on any list, it means the people think I�m good enough to be on that list and if my name is not on any list it does not mean I am not good enough to be there. Fact is, I do not belong to any faction and this talk of saying Kufuor is sponsoring me is not true and must stop,� Otiko noted at a news conference yesterday to explain why she wants to be NPP National Women�s Organiser.

Otiko, 48, is a communic

ations consultant and NPP parliamentary candidate for Bole Bamboi in the 2008 elections. Currently, she is one of the faces of the NPP on radio and television discussions. The fact that she speaks eight Ghanaian languages is seen as an asset to the party should she be given the nod as Women�s Organiser.

�My blood is boiling and I am ready to serve my party. I hear a calling and I know I have been called to serve my party. My main concern would be to ensure there is total utilisation of all women in our party to ensure we win the 2012 elections.

�My desire to become the Women�s Organiser is for one reason to get my party back to power in 2012. That is my inspiration and that is what keeps me going. I believe I can get our women together because I can work with women at all levels. I come from a very poor rural setting where I learnt how to be humble and I am also educated enough to please the elite within us. I stand for all; I am here to serve by example and get the women to follow. I am here to work towards victory and that is my inspiration.

�The position is not about throwing weights about or sidelining people. It is about getting the women to support the party to victory. It is about getting the women not just to feel part of, but, to be actually part of the party at all levels. It is about getting the women to feel appreciated and believe in the cause of the party. It is about appealing to the hearts and minds of people and that is what I stand for,� Otiko added.

Responding to claims that she is too young and inexperienced for the position, Otiko said she could not be considered a child at age 48.

�Party politics is not learnt in the classroom, you can read politics and school but it is different when you get to the field. I have heard this talk that I should step aside for the veterans but I think in a war situation, veterans should rather sit back and allow people with fresh legs, new energies and dynamic potential to go to the fields.

�We can always consult the veterans but we need people who can move around and do the work. I am neither too old nor too young at 48 and it is not my fault that I look the way I look. I only happen to maintain my body well,� she stated.

Source: Daily Guide/Ghana