Business activities literally came to a standstill in Accra yesterday as the presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, brought his year-long electioneering campaign for the presidency to an end with a float.
The float took place a day after a successful rally at the Trade Fair site, La in Accra where thousands converged for the regional rally.
Nana Akufo-Addo had a hell of time leaving his Nima residence to embark on what he called the ‘get out the vote’ last-minute push with ecstatic supporters besieging the gates of the house.
It took him well over two hours to drive through the thick crowd that had gathered on the roads leading to the townships of Nima, Maamobi, Pig Farm, New Town, Kokomlemle and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area.
Hordes of anxious party supporters clad in the red, white and blue colours of the NPP, followed his convoy.
The numbers kept swelling up by the minute as people joined the procession from various locations.
Everywhere he went, Nana Akufo-Addo was met with cheers and the ‘change’ sign that has become synonymous with the NPP’s 2016 campaign amidst chants of ‘Change is coming’ and ‘Nana Beba.’ He in turn responded with a wave of hands.
As some came out of their homes and offices to the roadside to catch a glimpse of the man and wave at him, others did so from roof tops.
It was a sight to behold when the NPP standard bearer got to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
People virtually abandoned their wares to cheer him, as many wanted to shake hands with him.
Some travelers at both the VIP and the Neoplan stations alighted from their vehicles to cheer Nana Addo while drivers and road users shouted ‘change!’
Things took an entirely different turn when the man got to the famous Abossey Okai spare parts market. The mere sight of his convoy saw people going haywire amidst chants of ‘change.’
Nana Akufo-Addo went to Abeka-Lapaz and then finally rounded up his campaign activities at a rally at Teshie in the Ledzokoku Constituency where a mammoth crowd had been waiting for him all day.
There, he charged the ecstatic crowd and Ghanaians in general to vote massively for him and the NPP on Wednesday.
NDC Rally
While the NPP was having a last push for votes on the streets, President John Mahama led the NDC for its last rally at the Accra Sports Stadium. He asked Ghanaians to renew his mandate in tomorrow’s polls.
This, he said, was the surest way of staying the course, forge ahead with determination and consolidate all the gains that the government had made over the last four years.
According to President Mahama, who appeared as though he was delivering a valedictory speech, failure to vote for him meant giving up and beginning again on another course of which “we have no guarantee of success.”
The NDC presidential candidate who was addressing a rally of supporters, said the decision of the voters would determine the destiny of the country.
However, conspicuously absent was Jerry John Rawlings, founder of the NDC, although his name had been used to publicize the event.
On the credibility of the results, the president said, “I wish to draw the attention of Ghanaians to a deliberate attempt to create justification for disputing the elections. There are political forces in this country that are intentionally staging incidents that have not occurred, reporting falsehood to the international community in order that when they have lost they will have a basis to dispute the elections.”
Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, vice presidential candidate of the NDC who sought to directly match up to the NPP’s Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s economic prowess, said he was ready to answer more questions from the latter.
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