The flagbearer of the Opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 snubbed Ashantis as he refused to honour an invitation to a national rally of the party in the Bekwai Constituency of the Ashanti Region.
The National Rally which was widely publicized in the media and on several banners was aimed at launching the NPP National Campaign Message for elections 2012. It would be recalled that the NPP organized a rally at Mantse Agbonaa Park in Accra to outdoor the party’s Parliamentary candidates for the Greater Accra Region sometime in February this year. This was where the embattled and accused terrorist MP for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong charged the NPP supporters to lynch police personnel on the slightest doubt of their fairness.
The NPP rally at Mantse Agbonaa was christened by party bigwigs as a gargantuan rally because of the large attendance of supporters even though a rally organized by the ruling NDC at the same venue later outnumbered the NPP’s.
The NPP therefore in an attempt to prove their strength to Ghanaians, decided to launch a National Campaign Message in their stronghold Ashanti Region; hence the Bekwai Rally.
The expectations were high, the enthusiasm was generated, banners were all over the region but the numbers were discouraging. The attendance at Bekwai last Tuesday gave a wrong signal to the opposition party since the expected number compared to what to that of Accra was lower.
The Presidential candidate of the party Nana Akufo-Addo receiving the heart-breaking news from his advance team at the rally grounds, decided to boycott rally.
Our authentic source within the NPP Ashanti Executives confirmed to this reporter that “Nana Addo was here in Kumasi for the rally but had to rush back to Accra because he was travelling.” He continued “he even asked the Regional Chairman to represent him at the Rally.”
What amazes this reporter is that at no point at the rally was the Regional chairman of the NPP, Freduah Anto was introduced as the representative of Nana Addo.
The source further revealed that Nana Addo directed that the National rally be altered into a constituency rally because of the poor attendance even though most of the supporters were taken from Kumasi to Bekwai.
All the pro-NPP newspapers have refused to give their usual sensational headlines about the Bekwai rally because of its failure.
The Member of Parliament for the Bekwai Constituency who is an Independent MP was seen with NPP paraphernalia on him, mounted the platform. He took advantage of the flopped rally to re-introduce himself as a member of the NPP and apologized for contesting as an Independent candidate against the party’s elected candidate Hon. Kofi Adusei Opoku in the 2008 Parliamentary elections.
This reporter is yet to understand why the top hierarchy of the NPP refused to show up at the rally. Party National chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, the General Secretary Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie and the minority leader in Parliament Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who hails from the region were all missing.
Until they put their heads together for another launch, the NPP can be said to have no message for election 2012.
