Nana appoints Jake, Sir John

- As Chief of Staff and Deputy

While many thought Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie also known as Sir John would be completely lost in the biggest opposition party’s scheme of things and on Ghana’s political landscape following their embarrassing thrashing at the party’s Tamale congress, information reaching The aL-hAJJ reveals otherwise.

Following complaints from the camp of dislodged National Chairman, Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey, the twice defeated presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic party is reported to have promised Jake and defeated General Secretary juicy posts when he becomes president after 2016.

Information available to this paper indicate that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, few days after the Tamale conference in chats with Jake and Sir John, promised them that in the event he is elected President in the 2016 election, he will respectively reward them with the Chief of Staff and deputy Chief of Staff positions.

Even before the party opens nomination to begin the process to elect its next flag bearer, the former Abuakwa South legislator according to our impeccable source close to him has begun preparing list of persons he said will form his ‘government’.

As a show of gratitude and, for bargaining with their respective positions to push for the endorsement of his third comeback bid, which many have blamed for their excruciating and disgraceful defeat, Nana Akufo-Addo asked Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and Sir John to wipe their tears and start carrying themselves as Chief of Staff and deputy Chief of Staff in the making.

A copy of the list of persons to form Nana Akufo-Addo’s cabinet is said to have been handed his twice running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who has been tasked to implement it to the latter in the event he (Nana Addo) for ‘some’ reason(s) was unable to get the opportunity to lead the NPP into government.

The list, gleaned by The aL-hAJJ contained significant number of Nana Akufo-Addo’s kinsmen from the Akyem Abuakwa kingdom and close allies who religiously and continually defended him; taken on his internal political adversaries like Alan Keyermaten, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and the likes to the cleaners, for daring to announce their flag bearer bid.

Party insiders say the choice of Jake as Chief of Staff (a position he once occupied in the Kufuor government) is to compensate him for the scruffy treatment he suffered few days to the NPP’s congress which resulted in him losing to business magnate Paul Afoko.

Reports are that Jake has not only been licking wounds he suffered after the congress but has also been complaining to close friends and aides about how Nana Akufo-Addo and his kinsmen in the party dumped him in the final hour for Mr. Fred Oware and indeed, campaigned against him.

According Jakes’ special aide and NPP communication team member, Mr. Asamoah Gyamfi, after his boss had surrendered his responsibility as leader of the party after the 2012 elections to Nana Akufo-Addo in order to ‘smoothen’ the path for Nana’s third presidential aspirations, Jake was embarrassingly dumped few days to the conference by Akufo-Addo for Fred Oware.

Under the NPP constitution, whenever the party is in opposition and it’s without an elected flag bearer the leadership of the party reverts to the chairman.

And as a way of saying sorry after the candidate he and his men supported also lost the chairmanship position, Nana Akufo-Addo, The aL-hAJJ is reliably informed has offered the Chief of Staff position to Jake with Sir John as his deputy for their ‘valuable’ contributions in keeping his (Nana Akufo-Addo’s) dream alive and also the Akyem dominance in the elephant fraternity.

Mr. Boakye Agyako, the 2012 campaign manager of Nana Akufo-Addo and a former Bank of America Vice-President is billed to man the Finance Ministry with Professor Gyan Baffoe and Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei assisting him as Ministers of State at the Finance Ministry.

Mr. Yofi Grant of Data Bank fame is to be made senior aide to ‘President/vice president’ Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia while Nana’s longtime special assistant, Mustapha Hamid becomes Presidential Spokesperson.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s cousin and owner of Data Bank, Ken Ofori Atta, has been penciled for the Governor of Bank of Ghana post while Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, one of the twice defeated presidential candidate’s henchmen and spin doctors takes over from Dr. Raymond Atuguba as Executive Secretary to the President. Lawyer Samuel Atta Kyea, who is also the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South and Nana Asante Bediatuo, a traditional ruler and legal practitioner, all relatives of AkufoAddo are to occupy the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General Department as Minister and deputy respectively.

To keep a close eye on Ghana’s oil money as that is the ‘gold mine’ attracting them to fight for the presidency, Mr. Fred Oware, who is the immediate past first vice chairman and failed national Chairman Aspirant will head the Energy ministry.

Mr. Amfo Kwakye and Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful are both to run the Foreign Affairs Ministry as Minister and deputy while Nana Fredua Ofori-Atta, another cousin of Nana Akufo-Addo, and Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, MP for Tema East will be made Minister and deputy at the Trade Ministry.

The MP for Atwima Mponua, Isaac Asiamah takes the Youth and Sports ministry while Kwame Sefa Kayi of Peace fm, Lawyer Egbert FabilleJr both of the erstwhile Coffee shop mafia and Frank Anoh Dompreh, MP for Nsawam Adoagyir are to man the Information Ministry.

One of Nana Akufo-Addo’s distant cousins, Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta and Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul will occupy the Education Ministry while Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome Kwabena and one of the flashy ladies in Nana Akufo-Addo camp is billed to take up the communications ministry.

Nana Akufo-Addo is said to be keeping the rest of the names of persons to form his government close to his chest, but it is strongly believed that the list was carefully prepared to deprive loyalists of former President Kufuor and Mr. Alan Kyeramaten any position in an Akufo Addo-led government.