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Opinions of Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Columnist: The Crystal Clear Lens

Who will cause Akufo Addo's 3rd time defeat

AKUFO ADDO AND ELECTION 2016
... who will cause his 3rd time defeat
By: TCCL Political Desk Analyses

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the torch-bearer of the biggest opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), is leading his party to contest for the presidency once again. This will be his third attempt to occupy the highest office of the land if he is able to contest come November 7 this year.

The NPP flagbearer appearance once again for the presidential race leaves several questions hanging, and they are seriously begging for answers.

What your authoritative newspaper, The Crystal Clear Lens, can assert without a shred of contradiction is Nana Addo's desire to lead this nation will be a mirage so long as the questionable characters who have caused his downfall are around him.
In fact, what many political pundits keep pondering over is that would Nana Addo be lucky this time round? If he will, has he worked on the countless factors that always thwart his chances of achieving his presidential ambition?

Also, the young chaps and the old hawks of the NPP, some of whom are his families, who have reeking questionable characters who surround him and would never, allow others to get close to the NPP flagbearer, still at the forefront of the party campaign organisation?

Going further, have the polling agents of the NPP been paid after representing the party at the last general elections? If they have, how long did it take the party to settle them? Are the grassroots of the party really satisfied with the behavior of the national executive who disappointed at the last elections?
Have some of the Executives of the NPP, from National through to Constituencies turned away from their evil ways where they pocketed huge allocation of money meant for party organizations?

Again, would Nana Addo help himself by avoiding ridiculously pregnant statements that end up destroying the NPP campaign messages whenever he mounted political platforms to address political crowds?

Another point is that would the political hawks in the NPP who would not like to see Nana Addo as President of this nation bury their machetes and reconcile to campaign together for victory 2016?

Above all, is Nana Addo himself ready for reconciliation in the party he leads? Is he really showing political leadership qualities that will entice discerning electorate in Ghana to buy into his ideas to vote for him instead of retaining President John Mahama, whose mania is spreading across the country despite precarious economic situations in the country?
These and many other questions, lingering on the minds of serious minded Ghanaians, wondering whether Nana Addo and the NPP are capable and competent enough to hold tied this country together as president if voted.
Insiders of the NPP have always told the The Crystal Clear Lens that the problems bedeviling the party are about share greed, dirty pride and envy. Some party gurus have regards for power of riches and wealth instead strength of wisdom and knowledge, hence the wrong people in the helm of affairs of the party.
They also expressed worry about over reliance on 'concocted prophetic' messages instead of conducting proper post election research that would help plan for future elections.

Let us go down memory lane for whilst. It is a public knowledge that Nana Addo's earlier attempts were not successful and members of his camp have never forgiven other factions in the NPP and other political parties, and they still hold them responsible for their electoral defeats in 2008 and 2012 polls.
In 2008 presidential polls, Nana Addo, who was then very prominent and powerful in the government of John Agyekum Diawuo Kufour, as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, and later Minister for Foreign Affairs, contested, but lost painfully to the late President Atta Mills, who led National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the main opposition party.


Interestingly, before the elections, prophets and prophetesses came out with various prophesies, predicting how long the elections would travel. One Prophet, who came to mind readily, is Prophet Segbene from Ashaiman, a suburb of Accra. Amongst other prophets, he visited our office to tell us his mission. He told us that the elections would go three rounds before the victor would emerge.
In fact, the Prophet was frankly emphatic, revealing that Professor Atta-Mills and Barrack Obama would win the presidential polls in Ghana and United of States of America. But, he was quick to add that Atta-Mills' victory would not be easy.
Furthermore, he added that the ruling NPP at that time would resist defeat, by engaging in all sorts of shenanigans which may lead to electoral tension in the country. Thankfully, he said God had instructed him to perform some divine rituals to avert any trouble afterwards.
As the voice for the voiceless, we deemed it important, so we published the message in The Crystal Clear Lens, although we received the divine message partially.
But, amazingly, the prophecy came to pass and 2008 elections was the longest ever in the electoral history of Ghana. Also, true to his words, we came close to the electoral disorder, but thanks to God's intervention.
Again, in 2012 presidential elections, the prophetic messages from the Prophets and Prophetesses to the anxious public were not different from the previous ones. Whilst some messages from the Prophets favoured Nana Addo, who led the NPP, others favoured John Dramani Mahama, who led the NDC, who used only 3 months to campaign.
In those two fiercely contested general elections, the NPP leader and his camp blamed others for their defeat. In 2008, they held ex-President Kufour and his men responsible. In fact, while some supporters of Nana Addo were on record of accusing ex-President for refusing to campaign for Nana Addo, some others said his (ex-President Kufour) action in government caused Nana to loss.


The spokesperson for Nana Addo, Mustapha Hamid, was on record of firing multiple missiles at Ex-President Kufour. In fact, he issued a damning report, outlining 15 reasons why they believed President Kufour should not be extricated from the blame.
Going forward, in 2012 general elections, Nana Addo and his men after losing, accused his main contender, President Mahama, of stealing the electoral verdict of Ghanaians. He believed that President Mahama and Kwodwo Afari-Gyan, the former Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, connived to deny him entry into Flag Staff House as President, hence his eight months legal battle at the Supreme Court, which led to vanity.
One significant thing after the elections was that Gabby Otchere-Darko, the former Executive Director of Danquah Institute, who was the proponent and the crusader of the biometric voting, angrily packed his bags and luggage to relocate to United Kingdom in 2013 for good.
But now, 2016 general election year is here with us and Nana Addo is leading the NPP, promising supporters a massive victory at the end of November 7. But it is still very difficult fathom the grounding of the assurance, considering the numerous unresolved confusions the party is fraught with.
Some supporters and sympathizers of the party are gripped with fear and anxieties, troubled over the future prospects of the party should it loss again with Nana Addo as the Presidential candidate.
Youth leaders such as Sammy Awuku, the NPP National Youth Organiser, Anthony Karbo, former National Youth Organiser, now Deputy Communications Director and a host of young chaps lads allegedly been accused of pocketing money meant for party campaign organization in the previous elections. Some aggrieved supporters have accused them of acquiring mansions whose sources of incomes are not known.


Unfortunately, some of these young men, who allegedly have credibility problem, have been promoted and holding high positions in the party with more responsibilities. What is the guarantee that the evil that happened in the previous elections would not repeat itself should the need arises? The aggrieved supporters inquired. In our part of the world, it is only the vanquished who complain bitterly after a game about defects in the system, but the victor finds everything okay with it.
The paper hopes that the NPP and its flagbearer have done their homework well to avoid another defeat so they would not hang the blame on innocent contenders and the Electoral Commission of Ghana headed by the new boss, Ms Charlotte Ama Osei.