It’s Mills Vrs Akufo Addo Again

Unprecedented Vicious Attacks, Baseless Criticisms, Wild Allegations and Resurrection of Spin Doctors Against NDC’s Wobbling Communication, and Ill Motivated Media Machinery

Monitoring Desk Report

AKUFO ADDO IS IN A BATTLE OF HIS LIFE. After snatching 78% of total votes cast, last Saturday, the battle line for the next general elections has been drawn: It is President John Evans Atta Mills versus Addo Danquah Akufo Addo. From this week, Akufo Addo will reload his efforts to give President John Evans Atta Mills, a fierce competition for the Presidency of the Republic of Ghana. Even before last Saturday’s congress, Akufo Addo concentrated his campaign on attacking the current President and swore to prevent the President Mills from renewing his mandate, for a second term in office.

At 68, there is no chance of getting his party’s nod, should he lose the next general elections in December 2012. So the 2012 elections is a guerrilla war, as far as Akufo Addo is concerned. It is a must win, at all cost, no matter the consequences. Judging by the impressive performance of the Mills government, and the cool headedness of Asomdwehene Mills, the NPP flagbearer will have to refine the 2012 agenda to mean ‘eliminate the NDC through rough tactics.’

The 2008 campaign strategy, where Akufo Addo was projected as a nice guy, was abandoned soon after, January 7th 2009. This time, there will be no beach parties, where party executives and campaign officials will be seen conning beautiful girls and hobnobbing with sexual partners, instead of concentrating on winning the ballot.

Ghanaians are about to witness, once again the pre-2001 side of the man Akufo Addo. The man who stops at nothing to see the end of a hostile regime, is what we are about to see. The Akufo Addo who will not hesitate to issue press statements, hold press conferences, organise demonstrations and go on the streets to lead such protest marches, is the side we are about to see. The over 42 cars we saw in candidate Akufo Addo’s convoy will not be witnessed. Not this time.

There will be no reasonable bases for some of the actions and criticism, yet for political expediency, Akuffo Addo will scheme, send emissaries and sometimes deploy his thugs into action, in order to get his way.

Akufo Addo, in opposition is a venomous critic. If in doubt, flip back to his activities and speeches prior to January 2001. His attack on the sitting government is just about to begin. He is about to reinvent and reapply his instrumental role, in the struggle against military rule and the defeat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Contrary to what Akufo Addo’s spin doctors will say, the man is the arrow head of the hawks (radicals) within the New Party Patriotic (NPP) family. The ‘kowa-di-kowa’ slogan adopted by the NPP, ahead of the December 2000 elections, came from the stables of the man Akufo Addo, who prior to the 1998 Sunyani Congress had accused then Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, of being too nice and soft, hence the 1996 election defeat.

The Mills-led NDC must therefore brace themselves up, for a huge battle, with Akufo Addo. The NDC headquarters must quickly solve their information management bottlenecks. The party must put in place the machinery to reply to all the press conferences, statements, press releases, speeches and publications by Akufo Addo and his agents.

The President Mills government must, with dispatch, resolve the challenges it is having with the pro-NDC media. The effective use of the media, in the battle ahead, cannot be underrated. The voices within government that have resorted to debasing the power of the media, are in effect, endangering the life of the Mills government. The earlier a permanent solution is found in tackling this challenge, the better for the government which will soon be in the firing range of Akufo Addo’s boys and girls.

President Mills must reshuffle his cabinet and kick out the lazy, selfish and mischievous Ministers like Haruna Iddrissu and Akua Sena Dansua. The President must direct his Ministers, to readily make available, vital data, needed in order to respond to government critics, immediately such opposition voices are heard in the media criticising the government. The communication machinery must be at work 24/7. Allegations and criticisms from the opposition must not be allowed to pass, without a rebuttal.

In this wise, we need more of the Hon. Alban Bagbin-like press conference on STX Affordable Housing project, so as to set the records straight. It is either the Ministers learn from Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin or they are pushed out for the Alban Bagbins in the NDC party to take the front-line for the battle ahead. The NDC cannot afford to make the mistakes that saw its defeat in 2000, when Ministers of State refused to respond to criticisms and treated the media with outright disdain.