Nana Akufo-Addo Is Becoming A Disaster

By Salifu Ali

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) held its presidential primary last year to elect

the party’s flag bearer with the premise that, the elected candidate, will use

his time and resources prudently by hitting on good, sound and carefully

measured campaign themes that will resonate with the Ghanaian voter population

and help the party to victory come 2012. Another reason for holding the

elections early was for the flag bearer of the NPP to tour the country, shake

hands with the ordinary people, feel their pain and give Ghanaians credible

assurances and also offer counter but reasonable and achievable promises to help

send the party to victory come next year.

But what Ghanaians are getting from Nana Akufo-Addo since he became NPP’s flag

bearer for the 2012 Presidential elections is sending the wrong signals even to

the NPP elite. Akufo-Addo seems not to know why he is the NPP flag bearer or at

best why the party went to the polls early to elect him. I am saying this

because this man has done nothing that has caught the attention of voters ever

since he became the NPP flag bearer. Akufo-Addo seem to be adopting the same

archaic losing strategy that sent him and his party crushing into the bush in

2008.

Firstly, Akufo-Addo has surrounded himself with some women who only know how to

shout on top of their voices and heap insults upon insults on President Mills

during discussions on Radio and Television, but are woefully hollow and knows

next to nothing about politics and how to coordinate and position a candidate

strategically to win elections. As a result, Ursula Owusu, who seems to have no

work to do as the so-called Vice-President of theFederation of International

Women Lawyers (FIDA), jump at every opportunity and loads on President Mills,

and the NDC thinking that insults and abuses are the only measuring rod to bring

the NPP back to power. Throw in the insults from Ghana’s famous political

prostitute Frances Essiam, then you have a lot on your plate to contend with.

But you begin to worry deeply for the NPP when the flag bearer himself, Nana

Akufo-Addo seems to be lost in traffic or in transit. Ever since his election as

the man to lead the NPP to victory in 2012, he has not informed Ghanaians what

he will do differently from President Mills if elected to the highest office in

Ghana. It has all been criticisms, criticisms and criticisms. Criticisms galore

if that is what you will call it. Assuming President Mills is not doing anything

at all, why will Akufo-Addo not tell Ghanaians what he would have done

differently? The other day he was lampooning President Mills for not sending

troops to oust beleaguered Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo from power, but did

not tell Ghanaians what he would have done if he was president of Ghana.

Akufo-Addo seems to have forgotten what happened to him in 2008. If he needs to

be reminded, then I will offer that reminder to him for free. Out of the 10

Regions in Ghana, Akufo-Addo won only two during the last elections; Ashanti and

Eastern Regions. He lost a whopping 8 Regions. In fact if Ghana’s electoral

system is that of the United States or elsewhere, it would have been considered

a major landslide victory for President Mills. This is something that people

expect Akufo-Addo to take notice of and to put up a carefully crafted political

strategy aimed at wrestling some regions that President Mills won come 2012.

The other thing that Akufo-Addo has to contend with is how to win the same

number of votes in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions that quadrupled during the

second round of the last presidential elections come 2012. Much as the NPP

accused the NDC of having something to do with the huge numbers in favour of the

NDC in the Volta Region during the 2008 elections, even though it was the NPP

that was in power at the time, the NPP also cannot run away from the fact that

many of the numbers announced in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions in their favour

sounded very questionable. As a result, if I were Akufo-Addo I will worry much

on not having that advantage of ‘manipulating’ the numbers in the Ashanti and

Eastern Regions come 2012 and not start to beat the war drums.

If I were Akufo-Addo, I will put up a credible political strategy to penetrate

and win most of the regions that NDC won in 2008, but the NPP flag bearer who

started behaving as president from day one when he became NPP’s flag bearer

during the 2008 elections, has started crying wolf when in fact there is not

even a lizard crawling the wall.

Out of the blue moon Akufo-Addo is reported by Joyonline.com of threatening

mayhem during the 2012 elections stating that the ruling NDC would try to hold

on to power by all means even though all odds are against them. What beats my

imagination is that why would such a credible person as President Mills try to

hold on to power if he loses the election in 2012? Has Akufo-Addo forgotten the

history in this country? Was Akufo-Addo not around when then candidate Mills

came on air without his party prodding and conceded defeats during the 2000 and

2004 elections when he realized that he had lost to Kufour? Where was Akufo-Addo

then? If Akufo-Addo was around during those periods, why would he think that

President Mills will try to steal the elections from him if he were to lose in

2012 hence his beating of the war drums?

Another issue which beats my imagination and making me wanting to throw up is

when in 2008 Akufo-Addo realized that he had lost the elections; did he come out

to concede defeat? Was Akufo-Addo not the one who hid behind his supporters like

the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood and tried to steal the elections by resorting

to court action? And this is the same Akufo-Addo, a man with no credibility

rather accusing the NDC of wanting to steal the 2012 elections. What Akufo-Addo

forgot to add was that he tried but failed to steal the 2008 elections and

conceded defeat grudgingly.

Akufo-Addo and his NPP folks may be living in a fool’s paradise by thinking that

Ghanaians are rooting for the return of the NPP to power. They may be right and

they have a right to live in a fool’s paradise, but if history is any guide,

Akufo-Addo will go beyond the favourable reportage coming from NPP newspapers

stating that Ghanaians are fed up with the NDC. It is too soon for Akufo-Addo to

forget what happened to him in 2008 when based on what NPP newspapers and his

no-nothing political cronies were telling him, Akufo-Addo, kept dancing on

platforms and telling Ghanaians that he was going to win the elections “one

touch”.

For a man who strongly believes that he was born to become president of Ghana at

all cost, Akufo-Addo is now desperately whipping up his supporters to cause

chaos by stating that, "You must understand that this party was formed by

courageous people. Our leaders who formed this party that has now become the

biggest political movement in Ghana were not cowards. So in 2012 we need to be

courageous because all 'die be die'. All die be die".

Ladies and gentlemen, Ghana is not the property of one person nor shall it ever

be. Akufo-Addo should not think that his supporters or to a large extent

Ghanaians will be ready and willing to shed their blood for him and forcibly

make him the next leader of the country if he loses the next election. Elections

are either won or lost. Period! Therefore, if Akufo-Addo who is already sounding

like a defeated candidate even before the first vote is cast wants people to

fight and die for him at all cost just to make him president to satisfy his

foolish ambition then he is indeed living in a hoodwinks paradise. Akufo-Addo is

harbouring the intention of doing what he was not able to do in 2008. In the

2008 election, he could not cause mayhem because his party was in power, but he

is beating the war drums because his party is now in opposition.

If Akufo-Addo has something better to do with his time and resources and

seriously is aspiring for the highest office of our beloved Ghana, he should

rather reposition himself, sack all those nonentities parading as his

spokespersons and spewing garbage upon garbage on air and not offering any

credible alternatives as to how they will turn the country’s economy around.

That is what will help him. That is what will make him a serious candidate in

the eyes of Ghanaians.

In Ghana today it would be extremely difficult for either the NDC or NPP to win

the next elections hands down. Everything will hinge on the swing voters who

want to see the real presidential qualities in a candidate and the people

surrounding him. Therefore, insults from the NPP women will not cut it. It turns

off the swing voters. It turns off Ghanaians. Ghanaians normally hate people who

heap insults and insults on people. And if you are looking to wrestle power and

you go to the electorate with such arrogance as being portrayed by Akufo-Addo

and his ‘girls’ you turn voters away. Akufo-Addo better think twice if he is

serious of ever becoming president of Ghana.

salifuali@rocketmail.com