Apart from the Late President John Evans Atta-Mills, it is rare for any political party to give a twice-defeated presidential candidate a third opportunity.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) looks like denying Nana Akufo-Addo, who lost the 2008/2012 presidential elections, a third chance.
Sources close to the NPP’s National Executive Council (NEC) have hinted The Informer that the majority of them have been convinced that after 8 years of trying, the Akufo-Addo-led Akyem faction should give way to the Kufuor-led Asante group to try in 2016.
A highly-placed source with the party told The Informer “the Ashanti faction has a lot of good candidates like Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Isaac Osei. If you look at the results of 2008/2012 presidential elections, you will realize that what Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy called Kyebi mafia around Nana Akufo-Addo made a lot of Ashantis in NPP grow apathetic”.
He continued, “if you look at the huge drop in votes in Ashanti region in 2008/2012, you will see the point we are driving at”
He also disclosed that the inability of Nana Akufo-Addo to bring to order members of the Kyebi mafia, who showed disrespectfulness to some elders and leading members in the party had also played a part in the decision to turn to the Ashantis.
Meanwhile, intelligence picked up by The Informer suggests that the Akyem faction still want to have a grip on the party; and in the event Akufo-Addo decides not to contest, they will sponsor a ticket of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, with Ken Ofori-Atta as his running-mate.
