Nana Akufo-Addo To Resign?

Accra, Nov. 8, Lens -- Officially, he still is Ghana?s Foreign Minister. But the Ghanaian Lens can reveal today that Mr. Kufuor?s Foreign Minister, Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo has served notice on the President of his intention to resign from the government ?for personal reasons.?

Unimpeachable sources close to Nana Akuffo-Addo told "The Ghanaian Lens" that in a few weeks, perhaps even days, Mr. Kufuor?s foreign minister will be announcing his resignation from Mr. Kufuor?s government, ostensibly for personal reasons. However, our sources say, Nana Akuffo Addo intended resignation has everything to do with the pursuit of his ambitions to become the flagbearer for the NPP for the 2008 Presidential elections.

Nana Addo according to sources close to him, is particularly unhappy that ?official schedules?, some of which are clearly avoidable, are being used to keep him busy out of town and effectively out of touch with the persons who would become delegates to the party?s congress to elect a flagbearer for the NPP.

?He tried to use surrogates to work for him, but it is proving disastrous. Even in his home region, he is fast losing grounds to Yaw Osafo Maafo, one Akufo-Addo confidante told The Ghanaian Lens.

Nana was prepared to stay on and work, but it appears that while he was being ?officially engaged? elsewhere, the very people who are engaging him in those so-called officials duties are the very ones who are ensuring that they pack the various regional executive positions with persons who are likely to vote for them or vote for their preferred candidates,? one Akuffo-Addo source lamented to the Lens.

The president is aware that should Nana announce his resignation now, it would virtually create a panic situation and all other ministers with Presidential ambitions would be following suit. Can you imagine what would happen to our government then? The source asked rhetorically. Though it is no clear yet whether Nana Akuffo-Addo has given in to the pressure from the President to stay on for a while?, indications are that he is more likely to resign in the immediate future than accede to the President?s request and wait, as it were, interminably.