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Opinions of Friday, 30 May 2014

Columnist: Ofori-Berko, Yaw

Appeal to godfather Mpiani

: Use Your Resources And Time To Help Party Win 2016 Not Cause Internal Chaos

For the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to win power in 2016, the party must boldly be willing to confront the truth. Party members must be able to speak and accept the truth even if it is unpalatable. Since 2007, party members and the party have tried to hide many unpalatable truths, with the view that speaking these truths will injure various party members. On the contrary, what this situation has done is to allow various individuals in the party to act against the party's interest and this eventually contributes to denying the party victory at the elections.

We have been left with no choice than to take an active part in this truth process and put out this first article because, unfortunately, certain actions since the Tamale conference suggest that the party is headed in the same direction since some individuals are determined to stifle the efforts of the party and its determination to win the 2016 election.

Our humble appeal to Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani is that he should leave our elected executives, especially the Chairman, Mr. Paul Afoko and the General Secretary, to work for the party’s best interest and not to try to refocus their attention on how Nana Akufo-Addo’s chances can be destroyed and how to prevent Nana Akufo-Addo from becoming President.

We are aware that Mr. Mpiani drafted and financed both Mr. Afoko and Mr. Agyapong into the executive race and the party is happy with that decision. We know this at least from the results of the Tamale Conference.

However, Mr. Mpiani’s new found role as the godfather of opposition and division within the NPP, who is in charge of drafting in operatives, financing and masterminding chaos in the party, is something which will certainly not inure to the benefit of the party as all the machinations are simply directed at Nana Akufo-Addo and how to frustrate his efforts at becoming party leader and subsequently President.

The question which needs to be asked is, what crime has Nana Akufo-Addo really committed against Kwadwo Mpiani? We know of the schemes being put in place together with another staunch Nana Akufo – Addo hater, Mr. Kwame Pianim, with the aim of ensuring the election of any other candidate for the flagbearership of the Party but the people’s choice, Nana Akufo – Addo.

We know for example that these two drafted and are sponsoring almost all the other candidates including Kofi Konadu Apraku, Osei Ameyaw, Joe Ghartey, Asamoah Boateng, Alan Kyerematen, Addai Nimo, and Richard Anane, so as to push the flagbearership contest into a special electoral college and for all of them to quickly come out after the Special Congress to publicly endorse the one who comes out as the closest contender to Nana Akufo – Addo. They will then lead a relentless dirty campaign on the personality of Nana Akufo–Addo with the hope that such a move will destroy Nana’s image enough and get the party to vote against him at the congress.

For some of us, it is mindboggling how Mr. Mpiani for years is bent on denying the party and the country what they want. To what extent will this fellow party man and stalwart go to prevent Nana Akufo–Addo, the obvious choice of the party from coming to power?

It is also mindboggling how all the resources, strategies and time, Mr. Mpiani and others in his company have, are only seen when there is an internal contest but vanishes soon after and when it is time to battle the NDC. It was thought that once he had managed to get his men into top positions at the Party’s National Head office, he would have willingly brought all his resources and energy to working for victory for the party no matter who the Presidential candidate is, since there is now clearly a big space on the table for him and there cannot be any issue of being sidelined.

However, as early indications suggest, if the move to have his men at the party head office is meant to frustrate Nana Akufo–Addo, then Mr. Mpiani must know that the Party will have no choice than to prevent him from destroying what is in the collective interest of the party.

The NDC is already proclaiming in various quarters that they will choose the next NPP leader and that they will do everything to prevent Nana Akufo–Addo from becoming the Candidate for 2016. Is Mr. Mpiani going to work with the NDC to achieve the NDCs objective?

One very unfortunate consequence of Mr. Mpiani’s actions is how he is giving former President Kufuor a bad name as his actions are mostly wrongly interpreted as having the blessings of the former President due to his service in the former administration as a Chief of Staff. Our former President and Party legend is obviously too busy with all the duties he has globally to be involving himself in such unconstructive matters, but unfortunately, because of his closeness to Mr. Mpiani, others assume he is part of the scheme.

In conclusion, we will advise Mr. Afoko and Agyapong not to place themselves on the wrong side of history. It is becoming more and more obvious to them, we are sure, that the numbers are solidly with Nana Akufo–Addo and that if anyone wants to frustrate Nana, he will not have the numbers needed.

The Nana Akufo–Addo/Bawumia ticket is what the party and nation want and the Party and Nation will do everything possible to have their way. The smartest decision they can make in leading the party and seeking to command the respect of the party, will be to allow the Party to have what it wants and not to stop listening to their political sponsors.

A few of the Party top brass can afford to wait until 2020, but the masses of the Party and the Nation cannot afford to wait till 2020.

Yaw Ofori–Berko