...As he secretly assembles his campaign team for election 2016

The level of mistrust in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has forced the twice-defeated flagbearer of the party Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to initiate plans to form his own campaign machinery separate from the party’s campaign machinery for the 2016 Presidential elections, the Republic newspaper has gathered.

Party sources have told this paper that Akufo Addo would immediately activate his campaign machinery if he should win his party’s flagbearership ticket for the third time during its October 18 delegates’ congress.

This will be similar to the strategy he adopted run up to the 2012 Presidential elections where he virtually separated his campaign from the general campaign office of the party sponsoring him.

His campaign apparatus was mostly manned by his family members such as Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and other key strategists like Kyeremanteng Boakye-Agyarko, Kofi Konadu Apraku (a former Trade Minister who is currently contesting Akufo Addo for the flagbearership bid), former National Organiser, Lord Commey and the former National Chairman of the NPP Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey.

According to Dr. Arthur Kennedy, a maverick chieftain of the NPP, the plan will fit into a grand agenda by the two-time flagbearer of the party to cease total control of the main opposition party from elements believed to be setting their own Ashanti-centric agenda.

Akufo Addo is tipped as the clear favorite in the forthcoming election even though he is likely to be facing off with four other aspiring flagbearers, including his arch-rival John Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng.

An aide to Perry Okudzeto, the Acting Communications Director of the NPP, Kofi Agyapong has alluded to Akufo Addo’s decision to rely on his own campaign team rather than what the party will assemble for the 2016 elections.

On his official blog kagyepong.wordpress.com, Kofi Agyapong explained that the party’s General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong cannot be trusted to organize an effective campaign team for Akufo Addo if he wins the flagbearership contest.

Kofi Agyapong described Kwabena Agyapong-a sworn adversary of Akufo Addo as “a terrorist, who is arrogant, selfish, shallow-minded and a swift manipulator.”

Kofi Agyepong, who coordinates media activity under the leadership of Perry Okudzeto, a Deputy Communications Director of the Party, challenged the authority of the General Secretary and hinted that a separate campaign office will be structured to manage the affairs of the party should Nana Akuffo Addo win the October 18th Primaries.

The leadership of Paul Afoko as Chairman and Kwabena Agyapong of the NPP, since being elected to the top jobs in the party have clearly shown that they would not tolerate the parallel power base that Akufo Addo’s family has set up. The Akuffo Addo power base it mostly headed by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a nephew to the aging Akufo Addo.

Indeed, the duo of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong started to systematically eliminate those they perceive to be sympathetic towards the cause of Akufo Addo. Both Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong are believed to be more sympathetic towards John Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng.

The decision by Akufo Addo to form his own campaign team exposes the sharp division within the opposition party and it fits into the famed Agenda 2016 where opponents of Akufo Addo have sworn to reduce his power base. Incidentally, Akufo Addo is also working on his own Agenda 2016 to seize absolute power from the party.