The subtle attempt by the Akyem cabal within the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to use the performance of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in the dismissed 2012 presidential election petition by the Supreme Court and the ‘thank you tour’ led by the party's National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey to shore up his popularity for the 2016 presidential slot of the party, last week hit a snag.

Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the failed presidential candidate in the 2012 presidential election, who was at the Supreme Court together with his running-mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, challenging the eligibility of President John Dramani Mahama as elected President of the Republic of Ghana; are beginning to think twice over their decision to let Bawumia run for the ultimate slot.

Some party supporters from the Ashanti Region, who boycotted the much-publicized visit to throw their support for the third time bid of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from the Ashanti Region, have begun using the mantra, he (Nana) used in the 2007, for the keenly contested presidential primary, at Bawumia.

Insiders told The Informer that in 2007, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the aid of his siblings from Abuakwa in the Eastern Region, coined the mantra “Yenim wo fretiti, Nana eeii yenim wofretiti” literally meaning the NPP knows Nana from Adam.

Even though the party has not yet opened nominations for the presidential slot, interested party big-guns and their loyalists have begun touring the countryside to have their favourites among the polling station delegates elected: These are: Dan Bowe, Member of Parliament for Okere in the Eastern Region, Dr. Winfred Anane, MP for Nhyaeso in the Ashanti Region, Papa Owusu Ankomah, MP for Sekondi in the Western Region, Dr Arthur Kennedy, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast Medical School and Dr Frimpong Boateng, also a lecturer at the Ghana Medical School.

Others are: Joe Ghartey, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Stephen Asamoah –Boateng, former Minister of Information in the immediate-past NPP administration, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Francis Addae Nimoh, an MP, Mr. Isaac Osei, former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD and MP for Subin.

The rest are; Madam Oboshie Sai-Cofie, a former Minister of Information, Nana Akomea, the resigned Director of Communications, who was among the favourites to take over as the NPP General Secretary and says his interest is in something higher than Sir John’s seat; and Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a former Minister for Trade and Industry.

The Akyem cabal once used the mantra, as one of the cardinal points for Nana Addo’s campaign, and asked party delegates in the run-up to the delegate congress at the Great Hall venue of the University of Ghana, to reward Nana for his loyalty to the party.

This, according to party insiders, played to the gallery, hence Nana Addo’s eventual election as the party’s flagbearer for the 2008 presidential election, even though he did not attain the fifty-plus-one vote being the Constitutional requirements of the party.

The supporters who are mainly from the Ashanti Region and some parts of the three Northern Regions, told The Informer in separate conversations that the party must be seen to be rewarding loyalty at this time when its supporters are disenchanted about the party losing twice in a role.

“A situation cannot be created for some group of people to be seen as hijacking the party for their parochial interest, when there are equally competent people to hold the fort for the party.

We all know how Dr. Bawumia got his party Identity Card (ID), when he was the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) in 2008 under mysterious circumstances, because some “party kitchen cabinet members” felt Bawumia will better (serve) their interest as Vice-President’. They claim.

They added that the Akyem cabal has commissioned some group of young men led by Anthony Karbo, a failed NPP parliamentary candidate in the last elections and a former Youth Organizer, who are going round the hinterlands, telling possible delegates that Nana Akufo-Addo wants Dr. Bawumia to succeed him, hence his decision to choose him as the ‘star witness’ in the dismissed election petition at the Supreme Court.

Just last week Wednesday 24, September, campaign posters of Dr Bawumia were splashed, advertising Dr. Bawumia’s bid on some principal streets in Accra with the inscription “Bawumia for 2016”, supposedly printed by friends of Dr Bawumia days after Nana Addo had announced his intention to take a break from politics to seek the face of God in his political career.