NPP Guru exposes plans to oust Akufo-Addo

A leading member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Brig-General J. Odei (retired), has exposed some mischievous plans hatched by the ex-President John Kufuor faction to oust the twice-defeated Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo from contesting the party’s presidential Primaries.

Brig. Gen Odei, said there are certain members in the NPP who have been spreading wild propaganda about Nana Akufo-Addo, referring to him as “Olele abre”

According to him, another plan to flush out Nana Addo from the Presidential primary is by “choking the Presidential race with so many candidates, to compel the party to organize a Special Electoral College to reduce the number of candidates to five in line with Article 12 A(5) of the Party’s Constitution”

He revealed that the modus operandi is to influence the delegates with money and that will be “mincemeat “ since the composition of the delegates for the Special Electoral College is about one fifth of the delegates for the National Executives Elections.

“Some of the people who intend to file know they cannot win, but for purposes of mischief, they are delighted to be part of the scheme to deny Nana Addo the third chance to represent the Party," he pointed out.

The retired General also questioned why certain members of the party, instead of commending past National Chairmen like Peter Mac-Manu and Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, rather are heard condemning them.

On the two past Chairmen, General Odei said “Mac, after the party’s defeat, put some of the lessons he learnt into practice and worked tirelessly to amend the party’s constitution, which was fearlessly resisted by some stalwarts of the party.

The most significant amendment was the enlargement of the number of delegates eligible to vote in the selection of parliamentary candidates, national executives and presidential candidates, with the main objective of minimizing the use of money in the election of the party’s executives and candidates.

The organization of National Conference at the Sports Stadia starting with Kumasi and followed by Tamale was as a result of these amendments.

Jake, on the other hand, led the party to prosecute the Electoral Commission successfully for their conduct and performance during the 2012 elections at the Supreme Court.

Yes, the party did not get the verdict of the learned Justices but it is important to note that similar to criminal trials by jury, it is the decision of the ordinary citizens of the land that matter.

By the trial, the party regained some of its lost confidence and are now poised for victory in 2016. These are no mean achievements that need commendation and not condemnation”.

He also warned the party Chairman, Mr. Paul Afoko and the General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong that “they must be aware that every move of theirs will be watched, analyzed and bombarded as they did, when they were not in office, even though they stated that they do not belong to any camp”.