I never blamed Kufuor for Akufo-Addo’s 2008 defeat - Gabby

Executive Director of the Global Dynamic Consult, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has denied reports he blamed former President John Agyekum Kufuor for his uncle, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s 2008 election defeat.

According to the New Patriotic Party chief strategist, although he has openly criticized certain ‘strange’ decisions the former President took in the dying embers of the 2008 elections, he has never accused him of plotting his uncle’s defeat.

In a reaction to The aL-hAJJ’s recent publication which in parts mentioned him and Nana Akufo-Addo’s former spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid to have accused the most successful Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition figure of causing Nana Addo’s defeat, Gabby, as he is affectionately called, denied the claim.

“Never, nowhere, and I’m saying this as a fact…Nowhere can I be quoted whether in print or voice to having blame Kufuor or the other name that you mentioned of the 2008 elections. Me personally, am telling you, nowhere… its becoming like the fact because you repeated it,” he stated

A report carried in the last edition of this paper revealed how former President Kufuor has been complaining to close associates about how the NPP ignored his sound advice ahead of the party’s 2007 primaries on the choice of flagbearer for the 2008 elections.

A four minute, 49 seconds of an over an hour video tape obtained by The aL-hAJJ captured former President Kufuor warning NPP chieftains to elect a flag bearer who is not just popular and liked by NPP party members, but a person who appeals to the generality of Ghanaians.

Former president Kufuor, speaking to party folks ahead of the NPP primaries to elect his successor for the 2008 elections, charged them “…we are going to challenge our opponents for the next 50 (percent) but what we have to be careful about is that even as we search for a successor, we must look for somebody who will continue to hold the party together. We mustn’t go in for somebody who will divide us because we by ourselves alone cannot get the votes we need.

All the true NPP people will vote for us but then I don’t think we will make 50 percent plus one vote to win at one touch. This is why we need to stay together so that we will be attractive to draw other people to join us to go beyond the absolute majority. So anybody who is always full of tension and fighting and that sought of thing we have to be careful about him. The party must stay together.”

The story added in parts that “Allies of Nana Akufo-Addo like his nephew, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko and Spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid, have blamed the former Abuakwa South legislator’s twice defeat on former President Kufuor, KwdwoMpiani, Alan Kyeremanten and other NPP kingpins regarded as anti-Akufo-Addo elements.”

But the former Executive Director of the pro-NPP think tank, Danquah Institute, stated that he has his own reasons why Nana Akufo-Addo and NPP lost the 2008 elections, saying …nowhere because…because I have my own views as to why we lost and my view as to why we lost is more complicated and complex and more valid than that. I would never even say it anywhere because that is not even my thought…it is becoming a notorious fact because I have my own views and my view stems from the constituency all the way across…and everybody may take blame for it.” Although Gabby said he will not absolve Mr. Kufuor for the party’s defeat in the 2008 elections, he will not blame it on one person, insisting “I will never blame one person. Incumbent loss elections but then there are so many factors.”

“I have said publicly that it was unfortunate that Kufuor supported Alan and I haven’t hidden it and if Kufuor supporting Alan is Kufuor’s thought and I think that was the reason why we lost because Kufuor supported Alan it could probably play a part as so many other factors played a part. Was it Kufuor that said 17 people should contest? And did Kufuor have such a bad record? But 2008 was a difficult year,” he noted.

Recounting events that led to the NPP’s defeat when they were in power, Gabby explained that when “When you go into an election and at the election, you candidate is over a hundred thousand ahead in the presidential election and you have lost your majority in parliament, it is even difficult to blame it on one person and the structure at the top…”