Stop the Mills - Nana Addo Comparison for once!

The new pressure group, Get Alan Kyerematen Elected (GAKE) has noted with deep concern the arguments being put forward by those rooting for Nana Akufo-Addo to contest the flag-bearership slot of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the third consecutive time. GAKE contends that, ever since Nana Akufo-Addo, the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Candidate of the NPP lost two successive elections, series of blame have been leveled against prominent people and institutions in the country without any justification. For, after blaming everybody - Afari Gyan, Mahama, Kufuor, Alan, Supreme Court, Polling Agents, except himself, Akufo-Addo and his supporters are now saying that Prof. Mills won the presidency on his third attempt - 2000, 2004, and 2008, so the NPP delegates should allow him a third time chance as NPP's flag-bearer.

GAKE therefore sees this argument as a very weak one, because of the political dichotomy of the NPP and NDC, as well as the personality differences of Nana Addo and Mills. Comparing yourself to a man who died mysteriously on the presidential throne, after he snubbed pieces of advice to abandon his presidential ambition makes Nana Addo not only over-ambitious, but also selfish individual. Since when did Akufo-Addo see something positive about Mills or the NDC? Was it not Akufo-Addo who labelled Atta Mills as "Prodessor-Do-Little" just because Mills had not performed to his satisfaction after four (4) months in office as president? Was it not Nana Addo's cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, who tagged Mills as a "Poodle", because of the Swedru Declaration? GAKE would be very grateful, if Nana Addo and his cohorts could furnish us with tangible answers.

In furtherance to the above, GAKE asserts that the assumption of an automatic victory for the NPP in Election 2016 all because NDC's Mills won on his third attempt due to 'sympathy votes' is a fallacy in conclusion. This is because the concept of individual differences teaches us that no two individuals are the same. As some people jokingly put it; "Elephant Mills; Elephant Nana", to wit, both Mills and Nana Addo are entirely two different personalities.

GAKE is of the view that the Mills-Nana comparison is one of the greatest mistakes any NPP member could make, as far as Ghanaian politics is concerned. To GAKE, it is like comparing apples with cars, but not even oranges. For, Mills unlike Nana Addo, was a professor cum sitting vice president. Mills also changed his running-mates three times - Muhammed Mumuni, Martin Amidu, and finally John Mahama. However, Nana Addo has maintained Dr. Bawumia since he became the leader of the NPP, and has neither become a Vice President nor professor in his lifetime.

GAKE also notes that Prof. Mills lost on two occasions to just one candidate, that is Mr. J.A. Kufuor, and though Mills was losing, his popular votes kept increasing from 44% to 48% and later 50.23%. On the other hand, Nana Addo, apart from losing to two different candidates - Mills and Mahama within a spate of five years, his votes have strangely been depreciating from 49.13% in 2008 first round, to 48% in the second round, and finally to 47.74% in Election 2012.

GAKE further asserts that, the NDC and NPP have different political ideologies, and looking at how Mills was 'uprooted' from obscurity to lead the NDC at the Swedru Congress, one wonders why the NPP, a party that fielded 17 presidential aspirants at one time, would copy blindly from its political opponent. GAKE thus wants Akufo-Addo's loyalists to come out and state that, yes, Mills won on his third attempt and died so Akufo-Addo would also win (though unlikely) on his third attempt, and "die" on the presidential throne.

In the light of the above, GAKE wants to take this opportunity to educate fellow NPP members, especially the delegates that our two electoral defeats were caused to a very large extent, by the Candidate we fielded. It is obvious from the last three presidential elections (run-off included) that, Nana Addo is not the voters' choice. Admittedly, Nana Addo is popular among the delegates because of the way the NPP polling station elections were conducted, but you would also agree with GAKE that, Nana's popularity or marketability has proven to be politically insignificant to the cause of NPP. To the average NPP member, all that the party needs at this crucial time is political power. Having contested the NPP flagbearership slot for three (3) times - 1998, 2007, and 2010 without giving the NPP what we want, GAKE does not see why Nana Akufo-Addo, who turns 72 years in 2016 is hellbent on becoming president. If all the people and institutions Nana Addo claims to have been the architect of his electoral defeats are still around by 2016, what is the guarantee that a similar thing won't happen in Election 2016? GAKE thus, entertains the fear that a defeat to Akufo-Addo in 2016 which is clearly written on the wall, will cause further disintegration in the NPP, a party he claims to have sacrificed his resources to build. We are therefore pleading with all delegates to think outside the box and see the imminent danger ahead of our beloved party with a 72 year Akufo-Addo as flagbearer. Let's give John Alan Kyerematen (JAK the second) a chance to show Nana Addo how to win political for our great party, for it very dangerous to put all our eggs in one basket. Let's try the Alan-Bawumia partnership. Think Alan! Think Power!

GAKE, one more change for power!

Singed...

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang

(National Coordinator - 0202471070/0547851100)