Akufo-Addo should run his own campaign for 2016 - Ben Ephson

Mr. Ben Ephson, the Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch and renowned pollster has advised the 2016 NPP Flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to manage his own campaign for the 2016 general elections.

According to him, the best way to end the simmering tension mounting up in the race to who becomes his campaign manager for next year's general polls will be for the three-time NPP Presidential candidate to personally see to the management of the 2016 campaign.

Speaking on Okay Fm’s "Ade Akye Abia" morning show, Ben Ephson said he is a bit surprised why the opposition NPP has not chosen a campaign manager by now, but intimated that the Flagbearer should just appoint a campaign manager if he so wishes.

Expressing his sincere wish, Ben Ephson implored Nana Akufo-Addo to run his own campaign by dividing the country into four sub-regional zones and then assign people to man the zones while he monitors the progress of the campaign.

He suggested that Nana Akufo-Addo can make the three Northern Regions [Upper East, Upper West and Northern Region] his first zone while Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Region becomes his second zone. He said Eastern Region and Volta Region should be his third zone and then the fourth zone should be Greater Accra, Central Region and Western Region.

“This will make all of them to report to him. He should monitor the lobbying intensity unit, either he runs the campaign himself or gives it to one person so that the lobbying will stop,” he advised.

Touching on the NPP NEC proposal to make only women contest in Constituencies which have women MPs, Ben Ephson said Nana Addo should have kicked against it.

He alluded to a similar incident prior to the 2008 elections when the NPP tried to micro-manage their Parliamentary primaries leading to a huge feeling of apathy in the Ashanti Region; urging them to continue with the adopted proposal if they desire to stay in opposition in 2016 elections.

He maintained that adopted proposal can anger those who are loyal to NPP not to vote for the Presidential candidate if their preferred candidates are denied the right to contest the Parliamentary seats.

“What they could have done behind the scene was for Nana Addo to call all those who are interested to contest the incumbent female MPs and speak to them quietly to allow the sitting MPs to remain in power with the assurance of appointment to compensate them when he wins the elections…..NPP is sowing the seed of defeat and they will reap it come 2016”, he stated.