Akufo-Addo sounding 'desperate, weak' - Lecturer

Flag bearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo is sounding “desperate” and “weak” with his repetitive begging of the electorate to help him make it to the Flagstaff House in the December 7 presidential election, Dr Eric Opoku Mensah, head of the department of communication studies, University of Cape Coast, has said.

Nana Akufo-Addo repeated his plea to the electorate recently when he addressed a rally in the Greater Accra Region saying the people of the area should help him win the presidency this time round because he has tried and failed twice already and cannot afford to lose on his third try.

According to Mr Akufo-Addo, whoever wins Greater Accra wins the national elections and thus pleaded with the people of the region to rally behind him.

Speaking to Class91.3FM on Mr Akufo-Addo’s posture in campaigning, Dr Opoku Mensah said: “I think that listening to Nana Addo’s voice, you can see that this is a man of fire and there’s a lot of energy in there. But I think what is more important is his strategy to court the people of the Greater Accra Region that: ‘Hey, you are the kingmakers because anybody who wants to win the elections has to win Accra and that is a simple historical fact in terms of our politics. And I think it’s a strategy of saying that I am not taking you for granted, I know that you are the kingmakers and, therefore, I come before you to do this.”

“… One thing I do not subscribe to is when one seems to appear a little desperate that: ‘You know for whatever it is, kind of have mercy on me’. I don’t think I will prescribe that kind of rhetoric. I think that anybody wants to vote for somebody on a certain legitimacy not because we should have mercy on you. That sounds a little weak, so, while there’s a lot of energy in there, I wish that Nana Addo keeps on telling the audience about what it is that [he can do]. It’s not necessarily like you’ve tried two times and, therefore, for a third time, we should give it to you. I think he has a lot of credibility and I think that it ought to be based upon that credibility not necessarily because you’ve tried two times and then you nearly got there and, therefore, you should experience a kind of merciful voting for you to get to where you want to get to,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not stop begging the people of Ghana to vote for him to get to the Flagstaff House.