General News of Thursday, 26 June 2014

Source: Al-Hajj

JAK, Akufo Addo smoke peace pipe

-To ‘fight’ Mahama’s failing govt

While many thought the suicidal wrangling in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is eventually leading it to the electoral slaughter house to pave the way for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to retain power in December 2016 on a silver platter, indications available to The aL-Hajj point to the contrary.

Latest impeccable intelligence gathered by this paper indicates that former President John AgyekumKufuor and Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo, whose disagreements and personal animosity have been the bane of the party, have resolved to iron out their differences in order to present a united and formidable front for the next presidential and parliamentary elections.

The duo are convinced that the current bad economic situation in the country has brightened the chances of the party in the 2016 elections and so there is the need to forge a united front to face the Mahama-led NDC government in 2016.


Insiders to this latest twist disclosed to The aL-hAJJ that both the former president and the party’s twice defeated presidential candidate having realized how their differences is eroding confidence in their supporters and creating serious division in the party have resolved to bury the hatchet and to assemble a unified army to fight the ‘common enemy’, the ruling party.

Sources close to ex-president Kufuor told this paper that the former president, mindful of the soaring popularity of his one-time Foreign Affairs Minister in the party and dreading he could easily emerge victorious at the party’s congress and go ahead to snatch power from the ‘non-performing’ Mahama-led NDC administration, has finally agreed to accept the “prodigal son” Nana Akufo-Addo back into his fold.

Mr. Kufuor’s dramatic acquiescent to a reunion with the former Abuakwa South legislator, a source revealed to this paper was informed by his strong conviction that the not-too-good performance of the Mahama-led NDC government could hand over power to an AkufoAddo-led NPP in 2016.

Highly obsessed with getting the keys to the Flag Staff House, which they plan to change to ‘Jubilee House’ if elected back to government, MrKufuor, though deeply hurt by Nana Akufo-Addo and his men’s ingratitude and disrespect, is said to be considering the interest of the party first.
Reports are that two prominent chiefs and a respected elder statesman are leading a team to broker peace between the two senior NPP capos.

Media reports suggest that Nana Akufo-Addo, who has since his selection as flag bearer for the last two elections hasn’t shown former president Kufuor the needed respect, has suddenly realized his folly and is ready to descend down and apologize to his former boss.

Sources in NPP say with the gleaming oil and gas infrastructural prospects of the country after the 2016 elections; Nana Akufo-Addo is ready to go down on his knees to make peace with his former boss in order to inherit the juicy toils of the Kufuor-Mills-Mahama governments, oil revenue.

Experts in the energy sector say by 2017, Ghana’s oil sector will blossom as the new discoveries of oil and gas comes on stream. More discoveries have been made and therefore more commercial production leading to more revenue for whoever wins power in the 2016 elections.

Former president Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo have not been on the best of relationships after the 2008 elections when loyalists of the latter accused the former president of plotting his defeat.

Events in the party have since gone from bad to worse with supporters of the two senior party officials at each other’s throat. Internal contest in the party have been between MrKufuor’s men against Nana Akufo-Addo’s aficionados, cementing a cold-war style proxy wars in the main opposition NPP.

The party’s recent conference in Tamale to elect new national executives deprived Nana Akufo-Addo of his strongmen at the helm of the party’s leadership as MrKufuor and his protégé; Alan Kyeremanten’s sponsored candidates routed the twice failed presidential candidate’s preferred candidates.

The ongoing jostling over who gets elected the next flag bearer of the party has exacerbated the ‘fight’ in the party with recent horrific and scary scene of bloodbath at the NPP’s Asylum Down headquarters over which group of persons does a “watchman’s” job there.