Kufuor faction behind “Agenda 2020” in NPP - Africawatch

The respected Pan-African magazine, the Africawatch, has brought to light suggestions that the John Kufuor/Alan Kyerematen faction in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the brain behind the “Agenda 2020” clique in the party - working assiduously to cause the defeat of its 2016 flagbearer, Williams Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in next year’s Presidential elections.

"It is suspected that Kwadwo Mpiani, a former Chief of Staff of President Kufuor, is the mastermind behind the Agenda 2020 plan. Mpiani happens to have a nephew who is married into the Mahama family. For Mpiani, family ties may trump party loyalties, or they can become an excuse for not helping Akufo-Addo.

In any case, Agenda 2020 assumes that its adherents will sit back instead of helping Akufo-Addo’s campaign. But more dangerously, they could sabotage him”.

The above lines are some of the quotes from the magazine’s findings about how the “Agenda 2020” backed by the Kufuor-faction intends to make Nana Akufo-Addo lose next year’s election, as it assess the chances of the NPP flagbearer becoming President.

Dubbed risk factors, the Africawatch disclosed that the calculation of the group, mainly supporters of Alan Kyerematen, is that, if Nana Addo wins, he may sideline them. And that, if he goes for a second term, that would put them in the wilderness for eight years; but claims that they have only four (years) to wait in opposition under President Mahama, and in the next elections in 2020, present their own man to run for president, if they work for Nana Addo to lose 2016.

Aside the above findings, the magazine in its evaluation of factors that possibly have the propensity to make the NPP 2016 flagbearer lose next year’s election may be; the continuous decline in votes of the party in the Ashanti Region; Nana Addo’s inability to attract or woo floating voters, the leadership crisis in the party; as well as the financial health of the NPP going into the 2016 general elections.

The Africawatch pointed out that, as a party seeking to recapture power, all its constituent parts need to work in harmony, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

According to the magazine in its February 2015, edition, Mr. Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, National Chairman and General Secretary respectively, are those leading the crusade against Nana Akufo-Addo - to lose next year’s presidential election.

Following the mistrust for the aforementioned personalities by Nana Addo’s group, which they have not hidden, the party’s 2016 flagbearer will be forced to try to find other ways to work around the two; and what it means is that the 2016 campaign will suffer some serious setbacks.

According to the report, the NPP is financially not sound; in that those who have money and can help are not to do so and have left the financial affairs of the party to Nana Akufo-Addo.

With an election many have predicted will be closely contested just like the last two (2008/12), the NPP will have to forget if it fails to raise enough funds to its war chest, and the consequence is that Nana Akufo-Addo will lose in 2016 again.

Ghanaians having been made aware that Nana Addo is a bad commodity who will not sell by supporters of his rival, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, during the party’s presidential primaries; the magazine has also observed that the inability of the NPP Leader to attract floating voters other than those from the Ashanti and Eastern regions will continue to cause him.

This the report remarks, not good enough for a candidate who wants to win power “at all cost”, and advises that he reach out to more voters elsewhere than his popular two regions (Ashanti and Eastern) tagged with the Akan perception.

On the other side (NDC side), notable among the risk factors that could militate against President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC’s chance retaining power are: the power crisis (referred to as “dumsor”), corruption allegations, getting the economy back on track, non-performance of government appointees particularly ministers.

But refreshing enough, the report is full of praise for President Mahama and his Government for working very hard to ensure that the problems identified above are put in check, especially its fight against corruption and prudent economic measures to bring back the economy on track.