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General News of Friday, 6 September 2013

Source: joyonline

Akufo-Addo is the best man for 2016 - Amoako Tuffuor

A founder member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Kwame Amoako-Tuffour, has joined calls on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to lead the party in the 2016 general elections.

According to him, there is no better candidate for the NPP in Election 2016 than its current leader, Akufo-Addo.

Dr. Amoako-Tuffuor expressed his opinion on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Thursday.

The debate about whether to give the twice-defeated flagbearer of the NPP a third chance has become an albatross around the neck of the national leadership.

Nana Akufo-Addo says he is going on a sabbatical leave after the Supreme Court dismissed his election petition, challenging the legitimacy of President John Mahama.

The NPP leader who was the first petitioner in the case said he will decide on his political future later.

Already, there is strong lobbying to get him [Nana] to run for a third time as party flagbearer in 2016 despite his loss in elections 2008 and 2012 respectively.

But others in the party believe the lobbying for a flagbearer is premature. They argue that the party must focus on restructuring after its defeat in court.

However, Dr. Amoako-Tuffuor on Ekosii Sen said there is no better time to lobby for Akufo-Addo than now.

He noted that Akufo-Addo stands tall among all those presidential hopeful in the NPP lacing their boots to contest the flagbearership slot.

"Akufo-Addo is tried, tested and has sacrificed a lot for the NPP. None of the people nursing presidential ambitions come nowhere close to him".

He said his phone has been inundated with calls from members who want the party to retain the Nana/Bawumia ticket for 2016.

"People call me as late as 2am threatening to breakaway from NPP if Akufo-Addo is not retained as flagbearer," he claimed.

The NPP guru stated that "nonsensical" argument about Akufo-Addo’s age can only come from shallow minded people who do not have the interest of Ghana at heart.

Amoako Tuffuor stated emphatically that there is no better person to deliver Ghanaians from the shackles of the Mahama-led administration than Nana Akufo-Addo.