Last Saturday’s National Delegates Conference of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) provided the opportunity for presidential aspirants of the party to test their strengths as their supporters tried to outdo each other in terms of numbers, brass band music and the style of ushering in the aspirants.
Supporters of aspirants like Allan Kyerematen, Vice President Aliu Mahama, Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Dan Botwe and Yaw Osafo Maafo, who dominated the scene had the opportunity of ushering in their preferred aspirants into the conference grounds in grand style, as all of them but Aliu, got down from their cars at the road side to acknowledge the supporters, allowing themselves to be crowded by the teeming supporters from the main entrance of the Eredec Hotel, the venue of conference, with all the heckling.
The Vice president had a tough time getting his convoy into the premises as he rolled down the side glasses of his car to acknowledge the cheers from his teeming supporters, who were clamouring for him to alight from his car to the displeasure of the Presidential security men, who would not let him down.
It took security men of the Vice President more than 15 minutes to clear the cheering supporters at the entrance of the hotel and that was after some little force had been applied on them.
Then came the Foreign Affairs Minister, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, who surprisingly had a few supporters, who were without T-shirts with his embossment, as was the case with supporters of the other aspirants.
When the supporters heard about Nana’s arrival, they quickly gathered at the roadside to welcome their hero, as some supporters of other aspirants had done. The Minister finally arrived at the entrance of the hotel in a two-car convoy, himself seated in a four-wheel drive Ford with registration number GE 2433X and his security and right-hand men in a Mitsubishi 4x4 GE 762 X.
While the supporters still shouted, “Nana nie o, Nana nie o” expectantly, he kept the tainted glasses of his car rolled up, to the disappointment of his supporters. He drove straight to the main entrance of the hotel and got ushered in by security men at the gate, without acknowledging even the few who had followed his car to the main gate.
The disappointed supporters could not but grumble with some of them asking, “Ono okaase oye hena” to wit, ‘who does he think he is?’ Some were heard saying; "You roll up your louvers and go, the time will come again.”
One of the disappointed supporters told a Chronicle reporter that he had come to believe the claim that the Minister was arrogant.
Shortly after Nana Addo’s arrival, Mr. Dan Botwe, former Information Minister also arrived in a 4x4 Nissan Patrol Vehicle (GT 7079). His supporters met him a few metres away from the hotel and he could not but come out of his car to join the supporters on a foot journey to the hotel premises.
At the end of the Conference, supporters of the various aspirants again congregated at the entrance of the hotel to escort their supporters amid drumming, dancing and brass band music.
It was not clear whether the foreign Minister’s aides could not communicate the displeasure he had caused to his supporters on his arrival to him or not, as he departed just like he had come. His car picked him up from the main entrance of the hotel, again to the displeasure of the few supporters who had remained resilient to demonstrate their support for him.
In all, Allan Kyerematen commanded the largest crowd at the venue, with his supporters donning T-shirts with his picture, with the inscription, “Allan K” at the back. A few bold delegates who declared their support for the Trade, Industry and President’s Special Initiative Minister said he was the most presentable candidate for the party, with international exposure but saying virtually nothing about his achievements as a Minister.
Next was the Vice President, who had largely a matured group of supporters mostly of northern orientation with a lot of placards.
Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, also had teeming supporters, mostly young men unlikely to be delegates, wearing yellow T-shirts with his picture on them. They made little noise, compared to the supporters of the other aspirants.
Hackman Owusu-Agyemang got the Friends of Hackman to make the noise for him. Just like the supporters of Apraku, Hackman’s supporters were mainly young people, most of them from the Koforidua Municipality.
The President’s brother, Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor also commanded a number of placard-bearing supporters with inscription like, “It is Addo Kufuor’s time,” but with none touching on the issue of his relation with the sitting president. He also got down from his car meters away from the conference grounds and walked with his supporters through to the main entrance of the Hotel.
Kwabena Agyepong was the only aspirant who had his posters splattered in the city even before the beginning of the Conference. But that did not do the trick for him as that action courted the displeasure of the party supporters, who thought he was being overly ambitious without caring for the fact that the Conference was not for the aspirants to openly campaign.
That open demonstration of anger by party supporters might have affected the morale of the youthful Agyepong as he was the only aspirant to arrive after the President had taken his seat.
He got into the Conference Hall 30 minutes after the president had taken his seat.
Professor Mike Oquaye was absent. He was said to have traveled outside the country on vacation.
Aspirants like Prof. Frimpong Boateng, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey, Arthur Kenedy, were present but did not have their supporters identified in any way. No one wore their T-shirts or any paraphernalia associated with them.
Mr. Emmanuel Agyarko, the American-based banker received cheers from a group of people who had gathered at the entrance of the hotel, mainly to know him as one of them said, “I have heard a lot about him but I don’t know him,” with about four other people each responding, “Me too.”
Papa Owusu Ankomah had no mention at the Conference grounds; not even people from his Western Region applauded him when he arrived at the premises. He however rolled down the glasses of his car and exchanged waves with a couple of people.
The conference itself saw delegates, led by the national organizer Laud Commey, launch the party's new anthem.
Just before the starting of the programme the chairperson of the conference Ms. Esther Ofori, asked all the delegates to wish one another well and it was nice to watch delegates going round hugging, shaking hands with one another.
Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor was spotted shaking hands with Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo, whiles other aspirants did same.
When President J. A. Kufuor and his entourage arrived at the hall, he took some dancing steps together with the First Lady, Mrs. Theresa Kufuor as well as the Vice president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama to the "di wo hene" song played to officially welcome them to the conference.
In a welcome address the Eastern Regional chairman of the party, Mr. Yaw Gyakyi Amoabeng, said members in the region would continue to work for the party to be stronger, more cohesive and be capable of bringing a new order to Ghana. He said across the nation, tribes, class and political boundaries, the party is the only one able to represent all Ghanaians According to him, the year promises to be an election year for them to choose their flag bearer and urge all aspirants to be guided by the spirit of unity, which is the hallmark of their party, saying "we entreat all to avoid mudslinging in their campaigns and see their campaigns as a friendly battle among equals so that at the end of it all the elephant will be the winner.
