Five aspirants gang up to stop Akuffo Addo

Cracks appear in NPP, as 5 aspirants’ gang up to stop Nana Akuffo Addo.

President John Kufuor’s pledge not to “interfere” in the NPP leadership race has failed to dampen political infighting within his party.

NPP has suffered a sharp decline in popularity, which has raised concern with the party’s leadership. In an interview with Neil Addison of Reporters without Borders Ghana correspondent, a senior member of Osafo Marfo’s campaign lashed out at Nana Akuffo Addo, considered the front runner to succeed John Kufuor as NPP flagbeaerer. He called Kufuor’s behaviour and his inability to deny the rumours as “anointing” Nana Akuffo Addo “plain stupid”.

Another former minister and campaign team member for Yaw Osafo Marfo’s flag bearer ship said, “Quite frankly, I think the President’s position (about the flagbearership race) is getting ridiculous. His people keep coming up with conflicting statements. One minute, he is for Alan, and other minute he is for Nana Akuffo Addo”.

Cracks continued to appear in NPP leadership ranks Monday. The financial scandal involving many senior members of the party is becoming a major crisis. According a leading NPP member and senior aid to Nana Akuffo Addo, 5 aspirants (Appraku, Kyerenmanten, Osafo Marfo, Hackman Owusu Agyeman, and Dan Botwe) have signed a pact to stop Nana Akuffo Addo’s becoming the flag bearer of NPP. He called the agreement among the 5 “The Asylum Down” Declaration.

“Neil, I’m very concerned about the situation we are in now, and honestly, I blame the party leadership and especially Nana Ohene Ntow”, he said.

“Many of our supporters have just come to realise that the game is up, and for various reasons (chiefly massive corruption scandals surrounding many ministers, especially Kwamena Bartels), we have lost the moral authority to govern and a lot of political capital to CPP and NDC” said the former minister.

Ato Kwamena Enchill, an analyst and pollster said, “Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo is credited with revamping the party by moving away from the right to the political centre, and was instrumental in their victory in 2000, when he became Attorney General”. Enchill adds “this once bright political star has faded; recent polls show NPP lagging behind NDC and CPP. If Nana wins the nomination, he will lose to either Mills or Akosa”. Enchill asserts that is the main reason behind the plot to stop Nana’s bid to become flag bearer of NPP”.

According to a former student leader and research fellow in African affairs in Washington, DC, (and member of newly formed Democratic Freedom Party), Nana Akuffo Addo is “toxically unpopular in NPP, as in much of the rest of the country”. He said “compared to Alan Kyerenmanten and Dan Botwe, Nana Akuffo Addo is an extreme”. The race for the NPP flag bearer ship continues and despite “stop Nana Akuffo Addo” crusade, Nana Addo is poised to be crowned the “crown Prince” comes December 22nd 2007.

Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo remains the frontrunner to become NPP flag bearer. Bookmakers are already taking bets on who will become NPP flag bearer. Book makers’ odds are not favourable to Nana Akuffo Addo as those given to him prior to the current scandals.