Ashanti NPP To Ensure Akufo-Addo’s Defeat

For Alan Cash To Lead In 2016

Intelligence pieces picked up by The Informer as of press time yesterday, have it that, the Ashanti caucus within the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), with former President, John Agyekum Kufuor as the leader, are working assiduously to ensure that Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo loses the 2012 presidential bid again, for not heeding to advice on choice of his running mate. The Informer’s very reliable insider-source revealed that, the Ashanti caucus in the NPP has held series of meetings in Accra and Kumasi, so as to put in place the necessary mechanism in order to carry out the anti-Akyem agenda; and precisely, to work against the electoral fortunes of the party’s flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, following his decision to pick Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia again as his running mate, after all the wise counselling and politically-rich advice offered him. Pleading for anonymity for obvious reasons, the paper’s impeccable source, even though failed to disclose the exact venue in Accra and Kumasi where these meetings were held, in a telephone conversation hinted The Informer that, the meetings were held on the orders of former President John Kufuor, who has never hidden his dislike for Akufo-Addo and would work hard for the Ashantis in the NPP take absolute control of the party.

According to the source, ever since it became public that the National Council of Elders of the NPP has endorsed Dr. Bawumia, the Ashantis in the party have had sleepless nights and vow to make situations difficult for Nana Addo in the upcoming general elections, for not considering any of the hard-working Members of Parliament from the Ashanti Region as his running mate.

“Believing that they (Ashantis) are a very big force to reckon with when it comes to elections, they have decided not to play any critical role in the on-going biometric registration exercise, to drastically reduce the voter turn-out of the Region come December 07, 2012; in order to teach Akufo-Addo and his Akyem loud-mouths a bitter lesson”, the source hinted.

“As a leading member of the party, I have been to the Ashanti Region twice ever since the registration started, and I wept following the lukewarm attitude of our party executives in that region; and this confirms perfectly the news making the rounds that the Ashanti caucus in the party is in, to do Nana in: Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen will take over in 2016 as the party’s flagbearer”, he added. “With the exception of Asawase where the turn-out for the registration was encouraging during my visit to the region, registration centres in Bantama, Kwadaso, Manhyia , Nhyiaeso and Suame were virtually empty; and the development rightly reinforce the fact that, our brothers and sisters from the Ashanti region have an agenda against Nana Addo”, this source pointed out. Asked why this attitude by the Ashantis in the party this time round and why he thinks that absence of long queues at the registration centres justifies the supposedly plot against Akufo-Addo, he replied that the Ashantis in the NPP with former President Kufuor as their leader, hold the view that Nana Addo is not a credible candidate, following how heavily he has come under frequent attack in the hands of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), as well as section of the mass media, particularly, with the recent Wikileaks revelations; and that the group prefers Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, hence its decision to help Nana Addo’s defeat for Alan Cash to lead the party in 2016”, he stated. “Aside working for Alan to become the flagbearer in 2016, the Ashantis want to use the voter turn-out in their region and respective constituencies as the bargaining chip to take control of the party”, the insider source added. “My brother; until this myth is broken, the Ashantis in our party will continue to call the shots; and if nothing is done to save the situation as witnessed from the registration before the general election, Nana Addo will lose miserably, knowing the strength of President Mills as regards his achievements so far in spite of all the perceived bickering in the NDC, he concludes. It would be recalled that, Hons P.C. Appiah-Ofori, J.H. Mensah and other leading members in the NPP have kicked against the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia ticket, sensing the danger involved as far as this year’s election is concerned; and if this is how far matters have degenerated with the Ashantis in the NPP taking this entrenched position, then we pity Akufo-Addo and his Bawumia, though they have no impact to make in this year’s election.