Akufo-Addo may be Ghana’s 1st wheelchair prez candidate

A Communicator of the governing party, Rashid Haruna says the twice-defeated presidential candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, may end up being Ghana’s first ever wheelchair presidential candidate if he insists on running for the office at age 72.

“When you have the general secretary of the NPP saying that even if Nana Addo were to campaign in a wheelchair, he was willing to push him around everywhere to campaign in a wheelchair, well, he might end up doing that because at age 72, he may need a wheelchair to do that,” Rashid Haruna told Moro Awudu on the XYZ Breakfast Show.

The former Attorney General will turn 70 on March 29, just two days from today (Thursday). He will be 72 in 2016 when general elections are due.

If he wins the NPP’s presidential primaries, Nana Akufo-Addo is likely to go against the National Democratic Congress’ John Mahama, who will be 57 years by 2016.

Akufo-Addo lost to late President John Mills, then a Candidate, in 2008 and also lost to John Mahama in 2012.

He recently announced to run again after a six-month political hiatus following the Supreme Court’s affirmation of President Mahama’s 2012 victory. The results were challenged by Nana Akufo-Addo, his running mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the party’s National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey.

To become the NPP’s presidential candidate for the third time, Nana Akufo-Addo may need to stave off competition from other possible aspirants, including former Trade Minister Alan Kyeremanten; his 2012 campaign director, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku; Ghana’s former Ambassador to Ireland and High Commissioner to the UK, Isaac Osei and former Health Minister, Dr Richard Anane.