Osafo-Maafo ready to declare campaign

Information reaching The Statesman is that former Cabinet Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo is set to declare his campaign for the presidential slot of the ruling New Patriotic Party.

A forward-looking statement issued by the Akim Oda MP Tuesday just fell short of making that announcement. A second statement is expected to be released soon to confirm the campaign launch.

The Statesman can confirm that the mood in the former Education & Sports Minister?s camp has turned from one of anger to buoyancy. One source disclosed that, before last Thursday?s reshuffle announcement which saw him losing his place in government, the Akim Oda MP was being impressed upon by close associates to resign after the World Cup in Germany to concentrate on his campaign.

Top members of his team, including Kwame Pianim and B J da Rocha see the presidential aspirant?s sensational removal from government as a blessing in disguise and are said to be advising him to hit the ground running now. He is said to have agreed to the strategy of feeding on the large sympathy he has been enjoying since the reshuffle.

In his first public statement since Thursday assures, ?I believe that I can make significant contributions in promoting the continued success of the NPP government and to this end, I will assiduously apply myself.?

Calling for the ruling party to stay united, ?All of us must not forget that there are elections to be won in 2008.?

To his well-wishers in the party, he urges not be disaffected on his account. ?On the contrary, stand firm in your loyalty and commitment to the party to ensure victory for our party in 2008. The most important legacy we can leave to the nation is for the NPP to succeed itself in 2008,? says one of the main contenders to that succession.

Mr Osafo-Maafo, however, refuses to be drawn into what he calls the ?extensive comment and speculation? to which the April 29 cabinet reshuffle has given rise. ?As far as I am concerned, I see the reshuffle as the legitimate exercise of the President?s constitutional power and privilege to appoint, re-assign or remove ministers.?

The reshuffle, he cautioned, should not be allowed to ?fracture and become a stumbling block to the party. The unity and solidarity of the party is of paramount importance and nothing should be allowed to undermine it.?

Meanwhile, there are moves to keep the energy and experience of Dan Botwe, another victim of the reshuffle, busy for the benefit of the party.

There is the option of welcoming him back at the party headquarters to head the non-existing research department of the NPP.

Last year, Mr Botwe publicly disagreed when the Editor-in-Chief of this paper dared to voice out publicly that the ruling party had no think tank of note.

But, the former NPP General Secretary?s return to the party headquarters may not be warmly received by all. Some analysts fear it could create a turf war. One paper last week described him as the ?de facto? general secretary.