Religious leaders vie for New Vision post

AN Alhaji and three pastors have picked nominations forms from the New Vision Party (NVP) headquarters to vie for the party’s flagbearership at its August 23, 2008 congress.
They are Alhaji Danjima Siddique, a Tamale based businessman; Prophet Daniel Nkansah, the founder of the party and head pastor of the New Pentecost Vision Church, Accra; Bishop K. Boateng, the Head Pastor of the Impact Ministries International, and Rev Andy Odai of the Christ Kingdom Mission, Accra.
The NVP, in June this year, received its final certificate from the Electoral Commission (EC) to operate as a political party.
The acting National Chairman of the party, Apostle Joel Aaron-King, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said currently the party had opened nominations for parliamentary aspirants, adding that the process was receiving very impressive patronage.
He added that prior to the congress, which would be held at Accra Academy to, among other things, elect a presidential aspirant for the 2008 elections and a national executive, interim national executive members were criss-crossing the country organising regional congresses.
He said the congress would also discuss the party’s draft constitution, accept it and hold consultations on other issues relating to the growth of the party.
As of now the party has held regional congresses in the Greater Accra, Western, Central, Eastern and Ashanti regions.
According to Apostle Aaron-King, nominations for the presidential slot would be opened till a week to the congress to allow more Ghanaians who believed in the vision and philosophy of the party to contest.
He said some of the vetting criteria that people must satisfy before qualifying for the position of flag bearer aspirant were that the aspirant must be God fearing, whether a Christian, a Muslim or a traditionalist, and must have good leadership qualities.
Apostle Aaron-King was confident that although the party was new on the political scene, it would win the 2008 elections with a landslide.
Asked how the party would be able to win the elections, given its very little presence, he said, “We are not threatened by large and numerous billboards and rallies. Ammunition and chariots are prepared for battle but the battle is the Lord’s.”
He said the party hierarchy was working assiduously to put its structures in place, while at the same campaigning at the various wards and in the constituencies”.