Saddique & Alima Mahama in two horse race

Reports reaching the New National Democrat confirms that the race for Nana Akufo Addo's running mate has been narrowed down to Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Hajia Alima Mahama. With a host of names being touted as possible Vice-Presidential candidates to the NPP flag bearer, this paper’s sources can state with authority that come August 2008, one of the two will emerge as a likely candidate.

With the choice narrowed to the two, the NPP Presidential candidate faces a difficult choice. Saddique who is the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, enjoys the support of close advisers to the Akyem politician and the presidency. This puts him in good stead to clinch the slot. Again, with the recent unpopular decisions and moves from President J. A. Kufuor reportedly infuriating his party loyalists, the only way to bridge the gap between the President and Akufo Addo is for a compromise candidate to be selected for the slot.

New National Democrat intelligence sources in the Castle told the paper that a meeting between the President and Akufo Addo has been held behind closed-doors at which the running-mate issue featured prominently on the agenda. The strong Saddique lobbyists around the NPP flag bearer received a boost because President Kufuor added his voice to the Saddique candidacy. With the Akufo Addo campaign in dire need of funds, the only way to attract financial support from the Castle Chiefs is to avoid dribbling the ball past Kufuor at this critical point in the forthcoming December 7 decisive elections. What makes Saddique's choice almost a foregone conclusion according to the intelligence sources, is the bad blood which developed between the Castle backers of Alan 'Cash' Kyerematen and the Akufo Addo camp. The resignation of the latter shook the foundation of the NPP even though the New National Democrat had predicted it as undiluted information from the Kufuor inner-circle that it had had been plotted months ahead of the official decision. According to our intelligence sources in the Castle, members in President Kufuor's Kitchen Cabinet disingenuously hatched the Alan plot as bait to claw back some lost power and authority in the NPP. They were convinced that the strings of defeats and their attendant humiliations through the total rejection of the President's preferred candidates could undermine his authority in the country. They therefore crafted the Alan resignation, timed it very well and delivered it on target. It produced the desired results and provided the President with the necessary elixir to regain some semblance of control over the party. Obviously devastated by the news, Akufo Addo had to swallow his pride and arrogance and personally beg President Kufuor to intervene. The NPP flag bearer, our intelligence sources asserted, was fully aware of the hand of the President and some of the hawks in the Castle in the whole game-plan. However, the resignation had taken a different twist and even threatened the very foundation of the Danquah-Busiaists. With all the official party avenues having failed, the President then accepted to mediate. He then had the trump-card to have an input into the presidential ticket by offering Saddique as his preferred choice.

Interestingly, the New National Democrat intelligence noted that what worked in Saddique's favour for the slot has been the overwhelming support he enjoys among Akufo Addo's fanatical Akyem backers. It is working for him and with Akufo Addo cautious not to offend the President or slight him at this crucial moment, the former Gonja NDC activist-turned NPP guru looks set to be unveiled in August as the NPP running-mate. However, the only obstacle to Saddique's chances is coming from the stiff challenge being offered by Hajia Alima Mahama. Her lobbyists argue that it is time for a woman to partner their presidential candidate. With some of the vociferous NPP women firmly behind Akufo Addo, he is said to be in a dilemma over how to handle them and not incur their wrath.

Credible information from our sources also suggests that Akufo Addo enjoys a very close relationship with Alima Mahama. Most people believe that having known Alima from very, very close range, the decision to run with Alima could be misinterpreted as having been done from the point of rewarding her for personal friendship and not the expected reflection of the general feelings of the majority of his backers.

As things stand now, all the indications point to Saddique and it will take a dramatic twist in the NPP's own political calculations for him to be by-passed. Our intelligence sources also said the NDC should brace itself for this announcement and not wish it away so that they can devise their strategy as to how to counteract it when the campaign heats up. Stay tuned.