Jake warns Mills; NPP is coming for Jubilee House

The new face of NPP leadership. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, (center) is the new chairman. Top left is Fred Oware, First Vice Chairman; bottom left is Otiko Djaba, Women's Organiser and top right, General Secretary Owusu Afriyie aka Sir John. Newly elected Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, is advising President John Evans Atta Mills not to move into the Jubilee House, yet, because if he does, he would only be packing out too soon. The sitting president is yet to relocate to the Jubilee House, the new seat of government since his investiture in January, 2009. He has chosen to operate from the Osu Castle. With the next general elections some three years away, the newly elected chairman of Ghana's biggest opposition party is sounding very confident of leading his party to unseat the ruling party, and says the president is better off staying at the Osu Castle, because an NPP president will be the one to move into the Jubilee House after 2012. In his acceptance speech shortly after being declared winner of the NPP's chair at its national delegates conference, the former national campaign manager thanked delegates for reposing confidence in him and urged them to support the newly elected executives to secure victory for the party in the next election. “The country is looking to NPP to come to its rescue. You have put us into this river; the river that we must cross together. I ask of you; I demand of you, do not leave us in the river to drown. Be with us through the crossing let us work across this river together so that we can reach the jubilee house in 2012." He also advised party followers to look more into the future and not to the past and urged them to ponder over the admonising by former US President, John F. Kennedy to not ask what the nation can do for them but what they can do for the nation. “Do not look to your party for what you can get now; look to what you can do for your party now so that we can reach that further shore,” Jake urged. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey thanked the outgoing Chairman, Peter Mac-Manu and his officers for broadening the electoral base of the party which he said was a true reflection of democracy. He said the NPP believes in competition, and congratulated his competitors, especially Stephen Ntim for giving him a run for his money. Jake won the chairmanship slot with a total of 2,030 votes, with Ntim polling 1,812 votes. Sammy Crabbe, Felix Owusu Agyapong and Dr. Wereko-Brobby garnered 43, 25, and 29 votes respectively.You can also see detailed election results from the NPP’s National Delegates Conference. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana