Confusion in NPP Over who leads Campaign

NTIM OR

DAN BOTWE

…As Campaign Manager?

As Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo finalizes preparations to outdoor a team of party stalwarts to prosecute the opposition New Patriotic Party’s 2016 campaign, information reaching The aL-hAJJ suggests ongoing intense lobbying and struggle over who occupies the coveted campaign manager post.

While earlier reports indicated the twice defeated presidential candidate had penciled and indeed promised serial National Chairman aspirant, Stephen AyensuNtim, to be gearing up for the campaign Manager post, recent events including intense lobbying by hawks and hardliners around AkufoAddo, according to our usual dependable source close to the former Foreign Affairs Minister, may compel him to renege on his pledge to Mr. Ntim.

The aL-hAJJ early this year reported how Nana Akufo-Addo, soon after the party’s Tamale congress to elect National officers, had assured Stephen Ntim to put his defeat to Paul Afoko beyond him and get prepared for a bigger task of leading the NPP’s 2016 campaign.

The choice of Stephen Ntim, party insiders say, was to use his expertise as former National Vice Chairman and an influential member of the party in the BrongAhafo region, to garner more votes in that part of the country to add to the heavy votes of Ashanti and Eastern regions to aid the NPP’s agenda of recapturing power in 2016.

But latest information coming out of the camp of the former MP for Abuakwa South indicates that some leading lights in his twice failed presidential bid and his recent spectacular thrashing of his two contenders for flag bearer post are strongly prevailing on him to discard the Stephen Ntim project.

Party insiders have told The aL-hAJJ that the Member of Parliament for Okere in the Eastern Region and Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, Dan Kweku Botwe is now being proposed to take charge of the NPP’s 2016 campaign.

Aside Dan Botwe’s rich experience as a legislature and former General Secretary under whose tenure the NPP came to power in 2000 after languishing in opposition for many years, sources say, the decision to allow the Okere MP to lead the campaign is to consolidate his popularity at the same time market him for a possibly higher task in 2016.

Credible information intercepted by this paper indicate, the choice of Dan Botwe as campaign manager over Stephen Ntim was informed by a backup plan by Team Akufo-Addo to prop up the Okere MP to partner Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as running mate into the next presidential election in the event the former Abuakwa South legislator is unable to contest the 2016 presidential election on health and age- related reasons.

According to another source, the choice of Dan Botwe as possible running mate to Dr Bawumia is to maintain the Eastern Region influence in the NPP and to keep Nana Akufo-Addo’s control of the party in perpetuity.

This, according to party sources, will run counter to an earlier gentleman’s agreement by the thrice elected flag bearer, and former President Kufuor to allow MP for Essekado-Ketan and Second deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Ghartey, to partner Dr Bawumia into the 2016 elections in case Nana Addo eventually pulls out.

Some alleged that it was for this arrangement that the Essekado-Ketan MP pulled out of the recently held NPP flag bearer election and threw his support behind Nana Akufo-Addo.

However, unknown to Lawyer Joe Ghartey and Mr Steve Ntim, who is said to be waiting for his official outdooring as campaign manager, their expected respective roles under the Nana Akufo-Addo-led NPP may not see light of day

It would be recalled that MrNtim was among one of the vociferous party stalwarts to recommend that Nana Akufo-Addo retains the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana as running mate and even went ahead to say that there is no member in the NPP at present times to match DrBawumia for the number two slot in the party.

Nana Akufo-Addo is set in the coming days to name the party stalwarts that will lead his army to battle the ruling National Democratic Congress in the 2016 elections.