“President” Akufo-Addo shares position in NPP primaries

The Herald has landed secret documents signed by Nana Akufo-Addo, revealing how he hatched a mafia tactic to outwit his fellow sixteen contestants in the hotly contestants 2007 University of Ghana- Legon primaries to emerge as the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2008 presidential election.

The same mafia tactic, is said to have been used again prior to the 2010 nationwide NPP primaries, leading to the defeat of his biggest arch rival from the John Agyekum Kufuor camp, John Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng.

Nana Akufo-Addo shockingly signed a secret “Non-exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)” to relinquish his executive powers to the various NPP party office holders to choose his appointees for him, when he becomes the NPP flagbearer and eventually the President of Republic of Ghana, after the exit of President Kufuor.

The second MoU for 2012 presidential election is said to be a closely guarded secret in which all his appointments have already been made.

The positions captured in the document include, Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial appointments, Ambassadors and their Deputies, District Chief Executives (DCEs), Metropolitan and Municipal Chief Executives (MMCEs), Board of Director, among other juicy and lucrative positions, such As Chief Executives of State –owned agencies.

A desperate Nana Addo, signed the four-page document with the inscription “strictly confidential” on Wednesday, December 19, 2007.

Regional NPP chairpersons, whose signatures appeared on the document included: Ekow Danquah (Bootey) Smith of Central Region; Nana Obiri Boahen of Brong Ahafo; Sammy Crabbe of Greater Accra; Kenwuud Nuworsu of Volta Region and Yaw Amankwah of Ashanti.

Western Region had, Nana Owusu Ankomah, Northern Region had Alhaji C.O.P, Eastern Region had Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, Upper West Region, Alhaji Abdul Rahman Abubakar and Upper East Region had Issahaku Ahmed.

They had agreed to a proposal by Mr. Akufo-Addo that they vote as a block, to ensure his victory over the likes of Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Kwabena Agyapong, Yaw Osafo-Marfo, Hackamn Owusu-Agyeman, Dr. Addo Kufuor, Boakye Agyarko, Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy and others, so that in the likely event that he wins the general elections, he would in return cede part of his executive powers by heeding to their recommendations for certain key appointments.

These includes “40 per cent of all Ministerial positions in the President’s Cabinet, including the positions of Minister of Trade, Ministers of Industry, Roads, Energy, Works, and Housing and Chief of Staff (who shall be head of Government business and a link between Government and Party); 20 per cent of all Deputy Ministerial positions, including the position of the two Deputy Finance position”.

The Central Regional NPP Chairman, Ekow Danquah Smith (Bootey), has confirmed the existence of this document but denied appending his signature to it during the 2007 Legon NPP presidential primaries.

He told The Herald in a telephone interview that he recalls Sammy Crabbe proposing the idea, but he later saw and read the MoU with Michael Omarie-Wadie at the Legon congress.

He said he felt uncomfortable signing a document purportedly coming from only one of the tall list of aspirants.

The Central Regional NPP Chairman admitted reading the document and noting the content as to how appointments were going to be made, but vehemently denied signing the document on that day although it was shown to him.

“My brother, any time I sign a document I write my name under it, and if that is missing on the said document it is not my signature”. It is unclear who signed for him, and whether or not this was cleverly done by Nana Addo to swindle NPP into believing he was ready to give them appointments which president Kufuor had given them.

The document explained that “The NPP grassroots members and footsoldiers feel they have been ignored by the government, in particular Ministers and thus are aggrieved, therefore, they believe the commitment given in this MoU represent the best way forward. They wish to be stakeholders in the next NPP Administration and feel that if the framers of the Constitution recognize that they have the competence and capacity to elect the flagbearer, then they should be competent enough to participate in the selection of their Ministers of State, Ambassadors, Board members, Chief Executives and DCEs. It is, therefore, essential that they participate directly in the election of key members of Government should the aspirant become president”.

“In considerations of the NPP Constituency Parties, supporting and voting for the aspirant as a block Congress and making the aspirant flagbearer, the aspirant commits to the NPP Constituencies that, if subsequently elected as president, he shall accept the recommendations of the NPP Constituencies..”

“100 per cent of all District and Metropolitan Chief Executive positions. The recommendations of DCEs and MCEs shall be based on selections by the Constituency Executive Committees of the relevant Constituencies in consultations with their regional steering committees”.

It assured that “100 per cent of all Regional Ministerial positions. The recommendations for Regional Ministerial positions shall be based on selection by the relevant Regional Executive Committees”.

60 per cent of all government allocated Director or similar positions on Corporate Boards with government shareholding and/or State Enterprise Corporations for the avoidance of doubt, such representation shall be on each such Corporate Board or State Enterprise Corporation”.

“60 per cent of all Ambassadorial positions including the position of Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Deputy Ambassador to the US, Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations and Deputy Ambassadors to two European Countries”.

“60 per cent of all government allocated Chief Executive Officers or similar positions in corporations with government shareholding or State Enterprise Corporations for the avoidance of doubt, such representation shall be on each of such Corporate Board or State Enterprise Corporation”.

“Should the flagbearer subsequently be elected as president, he shall not target and victimize nor cause or permit any of his officers to target and victimize any member of the party, including former members of the previous NPP government, who did not support his candidacy as an aspirant or who, he and or his officers may have personal grudges against”.

According to the document, in the event of a reshuffle, the various percentages shall still remain same throughout the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo adding, when he “fails to honour these obligations, the NPP Constituency Parties will ensure that the Aspirant is discredited in the minds of the NPP footsoldiers and activists”.

The parties making the agreement would, however, stay out of the law court to resolve disputes in the event of a disagreement in connection with the MoU, rather senior representatives of the parties shall within fourteen (14) days of the written request from either party prior to the other, meet in good faith to attempt to resolve the dispute.

Credible information picked up by The Herald from some regional executives of the party have confirmed similar documents were circulated in the heat of the 2010 nationwide primaries organized by the party, which re-elected Nana Addo, also purporting to relinquish power to the footsoldiers.

Party executives (names withheld) told The Herald that the decision by Nana Addo to put executive power at the behest of party functionaries would have averted the sporadic violence that has characterized the nomination and re-nomination of some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) across the country.

The source who poured his heart out said, they were watching and waiting on the sidelines for Nana Addo to implement the tenets of his MoU if the Supreme Court judges rule in his favour over the ongoing election petition.