Akufo-Addo stoned at Klottey Korle rally

An unidentified person in the crowd at a New Patriotic Party (NPP) rally at Osu on Wednesday hurled a missile at opposition leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as he addressed supporters.

Mr Akufo-Addo was on the second leg of his tour of the Greater Accra Region which earlier took him to Alajo in the Ayawaso Central constituency and subsequently to Osu Klottey Korle on Wednesday, October 5.

The three-time presidential aspirant had told party faithful of the need to vote out President Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) following their alleged mismanagement of the economy and to give him a chance to become president to reverse the hardship foisted on Ghanaians by the government.

But as the 72-year-old began to plead with supporters to also vote for the NPP’s parliamentary aspirant for the area, Philip Addison, he was compelled to pause his delivery, turning to complain to those beside him on the platform that someone had hit him with a stone.

“Someone just threw a stone at me, why?” he asked. But he quickly resumed his delivery, saying: “No problem, this is our politics in Ghana.

“I would wish that when we are moving [to the Flagstaff House], you allow Philip Addison to come along with me. Our party, the party of the Elephant, we know of only one candidate for Klottey Korle. He is Philip Addison. We know of no other person. We go to primaries to elect someone before he can contest [on our ticket]. So please make no mistake – NPP is the only party capable of removing the NDC from power. No other political organisation in Ghana can do it.”

No one has been picked up in connection with the incident and the rationale for the attack is unclear. The NPP's front in the constituency is divided, with the decision of former constituency chairman Nii Noi Nortey to file to contest as an independent parliamentary candidate.

Mr Nortey had been declared winner in an NPP parliamentary primary on August 2, 2015, but the results were annulled by a High Court after Mr Addison, dissatisfied with the conduct of the poll, petitioned it.

A rerun of the primary was held on February 27, with the lead counsel of the NPP in the 2012 election petition winning the polls. But Mr Nortey, who felt hard done by with the decision, filed to contest for the seat as an independent candidate.