Leave Akufo-Addo alone – Hackman charges

A founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Hackman Owusu Agyeman is asking members of the party, who are strongly lobbying for the party's former flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to run for president again, to give him space and time to decide.

The 2012 presidential candidate of the opposition party announced, moments after the Supreme Court dismissed the Election Petition he and two others filed challenging the outcome of the polls that he was taking a break to reflect on his political future.

However, there has been intense lobbying since to get him to contest the flagbearership race unopposed, ahead of 2016 general elections.

Speaking on Joy News Tuesday, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang said it was important to allow Akufo-Addo decide whether or not he wants to contest the elections

The former foreign affairs minister told Joy News' Seth Kwame Boateng that "All this hullabaloo about [Akufo-Addo leading NPP in 2016], I think it's uncalled for..."

According to the 2007 failed presidential aspirant, Nana Akufo-Addo needs "that space to be able to do this reflection and then come to an informed decision on what he wants to do next".

Mr Owusu-Agyeman explained that he recognises people's right to speak and choose freely, "therefore if people are minded to indicate publicly that they would want Nana to continue as our flagbearer for 2016, I have absolutely no problem with it..."

He was worried, however, that others in the party who hold contrary views as to the retention of Akufo-Addo are engaging each other as if to seemingly create divisions in the party.

"That push and pull is not how we run an organisation. You need to be together, if you have disagreements, for Christ's sake do it in the bedroom,” Hackman said.