Kweku Baako backs Akufo-Addo

With less than ten weeks for the New Patriotic Party to choose its 2008 presidential candidate, serious voices on the political front are expected to come out boldly to declare for one candidate or the other.

Last Saturday on Joy FM's Newsfile, Kweku Baako Jnr, arguably the strongest defender of the government of the New Patriotic Party and a close confidante of President John Agyekum Kufuor, came out to declare his support for Nana Akufo-Addo.

"Anybody who knows me knows where I stand when it comes to the NPP primaries," said the political commentator who, probably, has been most courted by all the aspirants in the hope of winning him to their side.

He described his position on the matter as "a matter of principle."

Forced by the panel, including Hannah Tetteh to come out with the name, Mr Baako said it was "undeniable" that Akufo-Addo is his preferred candidate to lead the NPP in the battle against John Evans Atta Mills and his National Democratic Congress next year.

But, Mr Baako, whose father was a Cabinet member of Kwame Nkrumah's CPP government, insists since he is not a member of the NPP, his support is "immaterial." But, not everybody shares that view.

In fact, The Statesman can confirm that some very important people had previously impressed upon Mr Baako, one of the most influential voices on the political circuit, to not make public his preference for fear of the weight it might have on delegates.

Mr Baako, though a CPPist, has won a lot of admiration within the NPP by giving what he calls "critical support" for the NPP administration. In his view, the NPP for the time being is the only viable party that can keep the NDC in opposition.

But, he also believes the ruling party should go for a leader who has what it takes to maintain the NDC’s position in opposition. That candidate he believes is Akufo-Addo.

When he eventually came public with his choice last Saturday, Mr Baako was commenting on the recent fundraising event of another aspirant, Alan Kyerematen which has generated a lot of controversy for the billions of cedis raised on the night.

He supported the view of the other panelists, Hannah Tetteh, Kobby Acheampong and Asare "Gabby" Otchere-Darko by adding, "As we speak, we don’t have any laws that demand of aspirants to disclose their sources of funding and how much has been raised."

Gabby had cautioned against making Alan a victim of his own success in the absence of no rules and regulations governing how campaign funds are raised for intra-party competitions and even parliamentaries.

But Mr Baako went further to urge Mr Kyerematen to make full disclosures on who the contributors were. "It’s an appeal to the Alan camp," he said. "There’s no need to maintain any secrecy against the backdrop of all the brouhaha going on. Let’s know how much cash was mobilised on that day and publish or issue a list of the donors."

Mr Baako, in an earlier Newsfile programme had told the programme’s listeners that his old pal, Nana Akufo-Addo was a consummate politician who is "excellent material" for the presidency.

The two, together with old soldiers of the democratic struggle, such as Kwesi Pratt, worked together on several political projects against dictatorship and in consolidation of democracy.

This culminated in the formation of the Alliance for Change in 1995. The AFC, notably, staged the biggest political demonstrations on record, attracting a record number of more than half a million on the streets of Accra and Kumasi in the Kume Preko marches.

Other leading members of the AFC were Charles Wereko-Brobbey, Adjiri-Blankson, Victor Newman, Akoto Ampaw, Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Kwaku Poku, and Kakraba Cromwell.

Earlier on in 1977, Kweku Baako, then in his twenties, joined the general secretary of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice, the 33-year-old Akufo-Addo, to organise the 'No’ vote against Gen I K Acheampong’s attempt to impose a one-party state through the UniGov referendum.

Mr Pratt, also another old ‘comrade’ of Akufo-Addo was last week accused by a listener’s text message to Peace FM of supporting Akufo-Addo. His response was that he has several friends in the NPP race, including Dan Botwe and Hackman Owusu-Agyemang.