Nana Akuffo Addo Picks Dan Botwe & Jake

Information reaching the Daily Guide newspaper indicates that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo may appoint former General Secretary, Dan Kwaku Botwe as his Campaign Manager, while the ‘Master Strategist’, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey will chair the Campaign Committee to fashion out a winning strategy.

Nana Akufo-Addo yesterday reached out to the defeated aspirants in his bid to retain power for the ruling party when he engaged them on a ‘one on one’ basis to fashion out a role for them in the run-up to the December 7 elections. Daily Guide learnt that the flagbearer was expected to meet not less than 14 aspirants yesterday, while the rest, including Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (rtd), would have their turn today. Even though Effah-Dartey was disqualified, Nana favours his inclusion to ensure party unity. “Captain would be part of the campaign,” sources close to the candidate told this paper.

Yesterday’s closed-door meetings with the former aspirants, which took place at Nana’s father’s Nima residence, followed Wednesday’s thanksgiving service where all the aspirants lived up to their post-congress pledge of supporting the winner by making themselves available at the Ridge Church for the service. The flagbearer had earlier held a breakfast meeting with the former aspirants, before the thanksgiving service, where he spelt out his vision and strategy to retain power, and solicited their opinions and contributions to the campaign. Billed to meet him today are Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the runner up in the highly competitive congress that elected Nana Akufo-Addo; Dan Botwe, former General Secretary and Vice President Aliu Mahama who was reported to be out of town.

Nana is said to have swung into action in order to sustain the steam generated by the congress among the rank and file of the party.

According to sources, the flagbearer has endorsed a massive restructuring of the party at the grassroots to make it more potent for the election. The restructuring includes injection of capital to pay certain categories of party executives at the constituency level. Nana Akufo-Addo, who has already started series of consultations with critical segments of the society, will on Monday commence a nation-wide tour of the regions where he would interact with party people and thank them for their support in giving him the mandate to lead them for the 2008 elections.

“Nana Akufo-Addo will use the visits to deepen the process of uniting and mobilizing forces within the party in preparation for election 2008. “The nation-wide tour will begin on Monday, January 7, 2008 from the Brong Ahafo Region and end on Friday, January 11 in the Eastern Region,” a statement signed by Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, spokesperson for the NPP leader said. However, the visit to the Upper East has been put on hold because of the unstable security situation in Bawku area, Mustapha said.