Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Freddie Blay says the rivalry between the main opposition New Patriotic Party’s twice-defeated flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo and twice-failed flagbearer Aspirant Alan Kyeremanten, is healthy for the party.

“To me it’s healthy, provided we contain it, we manage it; provided we don’t let it spill over and so forth and all that and I believe so far it’s been very well managed and contained. It’s there, you can’t wish it away”, the former Ellembelle Legislator said on Wednesday.

Describing it as a “good” thing, Mr Blay said, provided the rivalry doesn’t get “acrimonious and destructive”, it “sometimes even builds”.

“Rivalry brings the best in us, makes you do your things well…I will not discourage it…I will only say that we shouldn’t over do it as though it were a cock fight to destroy our eyes”, Mr Blay said.

The party is perceived to be divided along the lines two camps – one supporting the Kufuor faction and the other siding with the Akufo-Addo camp.

Mr Blay described the alleged factionalism as mere perception when he spoke to Accra-based Asempa FM’s Ekossii sen political programme on Wednesday.