Many well-meaning Ghanaians including some stalwarts of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) are mounting pressure on the party’s twice defeated presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to bow out of politics in order to safeguard his freshly- exalted status of a statesman following his conduct in the recent election petition.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who started chasing his childhood dream of becoming the number one gentleman of the land since the 1990’s when he first lost the NPP’s flagbearership to former President Kufuor, is said to be considering a third attempt at the presidency, but unfortunately, age seems to work against him as he will be almost 73 years in January 2017 when the next president would be sworn into office.
Considering the adulations and praises showered on him both domestically and internationally, some political watchers and notable NPP functionaries are advising the former Abuakwa South MP to bring his presidential ambition to closure and join the league of noble Ghanaian statesmen like Mr. Kofi Annan, former Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor, among others.
Some NPP insiders have also recommended he gets off the ‘ugly’ jaws of frontline politics and take a backstage to direct the affairs of the party from behind like what the respected late B. J. da-Roacha did when he was alive.
The latest to join the chorus of astute and accomplished Ghanaians calling on Nana Addo to take a back seat in politics is former Ghanaian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mr. Isaac Osei.
According to Mr. Isaac Osei who is also the NPP MP for Subin and twice flag bearer aspirant of the party, it would be in the best interest of Nana Akufo-Addo if he retires from politics now to avoid tainting his privileged status of statesman.
He told XYZ’s morning show host, Moro Awudu recently that “I think, at the moment, Nana Addo has transcended politics and has moved into the realm of statesmanship. He’s become a statesman. If I was to advise Nana Addo, I’ll say that let this legacy be.”
He added that “Nana Addo has carved a certain niche for himself. He has moved a notch above politics to become a statesman with that singular statement that he made”.
"...whole demeanour [and] comportment during the trial of the election petition case, and then his statement on the day when judgment was given put him on a certain pedestal,” Mr. Osei remarked.
Though Nana Akufo-Addo, who is currently cooling off in UK following an excruciating defeat at the election petition challenging the legitimacy of President Mahama, has not officially announced his third term bid, some of his trusted allies like Mustapha Hamid, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Dr. Amoako Tuffuor and others have boldly proclaimed that by hook or crook, his face will be on the 2016 presidential ballot.
Indeed, the former Foreign Affairs Minister in the Kufuor administration himself, obviously downplaying concerns of his advanced age and not too-good health has subtly been announcing his possible comeback. In the wake of the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela, Nana Akufo-Addo reminded Ghanaians that the anti-apartheid crusader became president at age 72 and served only one term, implying he can also become President.
Prior to this, Nana Akufo-Addo, as if he has sworn oath of violence, thundered on his facebook page “the NPP must use all legitimate means to win the 2016 elections”
Some of his allies have even started flying some religious kite that a powerful monk in China has predicted Nana Akufo-Addo’s presidential dream would be realized in 2016.
Meanwhile, a very powerful and respected Islamic spiritualist based in Kumasi, Sheikh Mallam Musah, who predicted that Nana Akufo-Addo will lose the last election but would not accept the result, recently told The Al-Hajj that the twice failed presidential aspirant is not ordained to be president, at least not in Ghana.
But Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie-led National Executive of the NPP have vowed to close the door on any possible flag bearer aspirant for a smooth endorsement of Nana Akufo-Addo as the 2016 candidate of the biggest opposition party.
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