In the article he authored, and which was published on the 'Politcs' page of the Friday, December 28, edition of the Daily Graphic, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, in painting a picture of a united NPP, sought to downplay the questionable win of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
What portions of the article tried to do, was, to wrap the issue of 17 people vying for the leadership slot, around the hanging victory of Nana Akufo-Addo.
Indeed, the article did not hide the fact that there is a desperate move to pull a veil over Nana Akufo-Addo?s 47+% victory margin - which means 52+% of the delegates did not vote for him..
Inter alia, one of Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo?s paragraphs read as follows:
"Another good thing about the outcome of the NPP congress is the politics of numbers being played by the National Democratic Congress (NDC). If Nana could not win an absolute majority even among the NPP delegates and Prof John Evans Atta Mills won more than 80 per cent to win the NDC slot, then Prof Mills is more popular than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. But the NDC is not bothered about the fact that the NPP attracted more than four times those who vied for the NDC slot."
Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo would have us believe that Nana Akufo-Addo?s inability to convince 52+% of his party?s delegates to vote for him is directly related to the number of people who vied to lead the NPP.
Let us not forget that before the NPP?s congress, the NDC, PNC and CPP, held their congresses and went into the contest with, four, two and six aspirants respectively.
If the NPP, just because an impression has been created in the minds of party members either by word or deed of the current Leader of their party, that just anybody at all can become president of this country, went ahead and made a mockery of itself via the 17 aspirants, why should Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo want to use that to hide Akufo-Addo?s inability to secure the mandatory 50%+1 he needed to become the legitimate flagbearer of the NPP?
If Nana Akufo-Addo is such a formidable force in the NPP, nothing should have stopped him from crossing the 50% mark on his strength.
With the likes of Arthur Kennedy, Adjei Bawuah, Kwabena Agyepong, Frimpong Boateng, Kofi Konadu Apraku, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, and Mike Ocquaye, managing, 1, 6, 9, 12, 19, 20 and 20 respectively, it means that there were a number of insignificant contestants in the race and a very ?powerful? Akufo-Addo should have managed at least 50% ?one touch?.
Without doubt, the fact that 52+% of the delegates were not convinced that Akufo-Addo is the right person to lead the NPP speaks volumes about the unpopularity of Akufo-Addo within his own party and this is a fact that stands tall.
The NPP?s race can be likened to a marathon whiles that of the NDC can be likened to a sprint. The ability of Prof Mills to set a record in his sprint race, and Akufo Addo?s inability to secure a clear victory in his marathon race, has got nothing to do with the distances run and the number of contestants; it has everything to do with the ability and competence of the race runners.
No matter how much the NPP and its spin doctors would want to wish away the questionable victory of Nana Akufo-Addo, the political records of Ghana will forever have it that, John Evans Atta Mills got the mandate to lead the NDC by an overwhelming 81.4% victory margin whiles after his third time of trying, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, managed only 47.9%.
Whichever way it is looked at from, John Evans Atta Mills is flying on the total support of the NDC whiles Akuffo-Addo has a lot of work to do to strengthen the weak wings on which he is flying.
Whether the NPP is united or not, time will tell.
Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.
