The pockets of crises threatening the stability of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will soon be a thing of the past as party flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President John Agyekum Kufuor step in to address the issue.
Daily Guide has been reliably informed that ahead of a scheduled meeting at the Castle today, the NPP presidential candidate met the national executive of the party yesterday to have a first hand information about the crises rocking the party.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who returned from a two-week tour of Canada and the United States on Sunday night, immediately launched into action to assuage all restless nerves regarding the fallouts from parliamentary primaries in some constituencies.
Nana Addo, according to sources, was briefed by the national executive, after which he expressed his desire to resolve all the problems by the close of the month.
According to him, the NPP leadership should endeavour to finish with all the parliamentary primaries by the close of June so that the party would enter the new month "with a common purpose and unity".
Immediately after the encounter with the national executive, Nana-Addo followed it up with another closed-door meeting with the Council of Elders headed by former IGP, I.K. Deku.
Unconfirmed reports also indicated that the NPP flagbearer, who is desirous of seeing the parliamentary primaries to an early completion to allow the party to swing into full electioneering campaign by July, held another meeting with B.J. da Rocha, first National Chairman of the party at his residence on the way forward.
Today, Nana Akufo-Addo is meeting President Kufuor and some elders of the party at the Castle to address the crises rocking the party.
Daily Guide learnt that the meeting is at the instance of the President who had earlier held a similar engagement with the elders last week.
At last week's meeting attended by former Chairmen, Peter Ala Adjetey, Samuel Odoi-Sykes and former Vice Chairpersons, Madam Amma Busia and Prof Alhassan Wayo Seini, the President was said to have expressed concern about the handling of the primaries by the party's leadership.
The President, sources said, was particularly not happy with the spate of agitations occasioned by the unsatisfactory handling of the primaries, especially regarding disqualifications.
He therefore suggested a follow-up meeting today in which the flagbearer would be in attendance. Nana was not available for the previous meeting because of his outside engagements.
Even though the party had indicated that by the close of last week, all the unresolved primaries would have been completed, as at yesterday, some constituencies in tile Greater Accra, Eastern and Western Regions were yet to hold theirs, with fresh petitions flying from defeated parliamentary aspirants.
Effia Kwesimentsim in the Western Region, Tema West, Ledzokuku and Okaikoi North in the Greater Accra Region and Suhum and Okere constituencies in the Eastern Region are gradually becoming albatrosses, with North Dayi in the Volta Region trailing.
Unconfirmed reports said former party General Secretary, Dan Botwe would be presented unopposed for the Okere constituency while Tema West is a duel between Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Abraham Ossei-Aidoo and Deputy Ambassador to the US, Irene Naa Korshie Addo.
Daily Guide learnt that the ground is not too good for the incumbent, Hon OsseiAidoo, putting the party in a very tight corner. Just as the party was struggling to address concerns from hotspot constituencies, then emerged reports of a petition filed by the incumbent MP for Abuakwa North, J.B. Danquah-Adu, who raised issues with his conqueror, Prof Samuel Amuako of City University, New York.
JB, a former Deputy Minister of Women and Children's Affairs was thrashed by 35-31 votes at the primary held in Tafo.
However, upon reflection, the defeated aspirant is raising objections saying the university teacher was not qualified because he was holding an American citizenship.
But Prof Amoako is nowhere to be found, let alone be served \~th the petition for him to answer- a situation that has made the incumbent very hot.
The professor is gone back to the US, leaving JB in limbo.
JB, this paper learnt, has therefore decided to embark on a campaign to smoke out Prof Amoako from his hideout in New York.