Akufo-Addo blows Ghc2m on 'Won Gbo' demo?

The Republic Newspaper is reliably informed that last week’s “Won Gbo” demonstration led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo- the flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP)- required a whopping Ghc 2 million cedis to organise.

The budgeting and allocation of the said funds were reportedly done without the knowledge of the party structures of the main opposition party, even though its top functionaries joined Akufo-Addo as they led a procession of demonstrators through the principal streets of Accra.

The Republic newspaper has been unable to independently confirm these reports; however, sources claim the flagbearer drew the staggering funds from his personal campaign war chest manned by his close family members and friends.

The money was used to “Bus” demonstrators from all parts of the country, after which majority of them were paid stipends ranging from Ghc25 to Ghc50 per participant in the demonstration.

Another round of “Won Gbo” picketing inspired by the NPP is scheduled for Kumasi this week, and information picked up by the Republic Newspaper indicates that Akufo-Addo has again instructed for some undisclosed amount to be dispatched to Kumasi for staging the demonstration in the party’s main stronghold.

This paper’s sources have confirmed that the money was given to one of Akufo-Addo’s nephews manning his campaign office to deliver to the organizers in Kumasi. But it appears the amount sparked tension in Kumasi, as organizers complain it was not enough to stage the massive number of people the opposition party is anticipating in Kumasi.

Akufo-Addo is personally leading a crusade to protest what he terms undue economic hardships that Ghanaians are being subjected to by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration led by John Dramani Mahama.

The 'Won Gbo' demonstration is premised on showing displeasure at the worsening power crisis and economic challenges facing the country, organizers of the demonstration stated.

Consequently, on Wednesday February 18, 2015, top brass of the NPP - including Akufo-Addo, his running-mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the General Secretary of the Party, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, NPP Members of Parliament, top party executives and a cross-section of party supporters and the general public-, led placard-wielding demonstrators clad in red and black attires

The widely touted protest as one expected to be the biggest in the country with an estimated turn-out of 200,000 people to one million people, yielded barely 5,000 people according to estimates.

The plans to stage these string of demonstrations are said to have emanated from Akufo-Addo’s personal campaign office and all the underground transactions required for staging the protests were reportedly done without consultation with the party structures.

The party was only involved by the invitation to top party members to be physically present in the street protests.

The latest antics of Akufo-Addo has sparked lingering suspicions in the party that the flagbearer of the main opposition party is determined to go solo on all decisions relating to his 2016 Presidential campaign.

Akufo-Addo is said to be increasingly growing uncomfortable with leaving things entirely in the hands of the NPP party hierarchy whose loyalty to him have perceptibly become shaky according to reports available to The Republic Newspaper.

It is widely known within the ranks of the opposition party that the party machinery are weary of the Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko-inspired ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ of Akufo-Addo’s campaign office made up of friends, family and cousins from the famed Akyem bloc of the opposition party.

His last two failed presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012 have been attributed to the lack of cohesion between the party structures and Akufo-Addo’s personal campaign outfit.

Consequently, Mr. Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko and close relations of the embattled flagbearer have earned an unenviable reputation as unduly interfering with party systems; often forming a parallel power base of the NPP/Akufo-Addo’s campaign machinery. Nobody in the NPP wants to risk parrying these powerful allies of Akufo-Addo, this paper can confirm.

It is believed that the parallel decision-making set-up in the NPP as the party heads for its third Presidential bid for Akufo Addo, has drawn significant disinterest from very powerful constituents in the party; including loyalists of Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng (Akuffo Addo’s arch-rival in NPP’s presidential race) and the Ashanti power bloc in the party.