With his natural tooth completely replaced by dentures and his grey hair subdued with the popular “Sakora” haircut, Nana Akufo-Addo, clearly sees his lifelong dream of becoming Ghana’s president fast fading, and has started promising “job rewards” to party faithful who will heed his “all die be die” concept of politics, to ensure he wins the 2012 presidential elections.

“When you swore the oath of office as president, there are lots and lots and lots of jobs you, as President, can give.

“I want to tell all of you, everybody who works hard to contribute to our success, will be rewarded by me. Everybody who works hard and helps us win, I am not going to forget anybody.”, said Nana who turns 68 next month.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate made the job promise when in a defiant mood in Accra last Friday repeated more than three times his controversial “all-die-be-die” comment over which he has been widely condemned by large section of Ghanaians, except some prominent personalities within the chieftaincy and religious institutions.

Indeed, many radio stations have publicly registered their frustration in getting prominent persons who have been vocal in the past, on matters like the one on hand, to share their thought on Nana’s statement, but none of them wanted to do so on air.

Radio Gold’s Alhassan Suhini has publicly announced that the station called the General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev. Fred Deegbe, but he told them he does not understand the Twi language very well, so he could not discuss what Nana said, because he (Nana) spoke in Twi.

What was missing in yesterday’s speech was that the NPP’s flag bearer did not cast any different tribal or ethnic insinuation as he did in Koforidua, in the Eastern Region.

However, he sounded frustrated and desperate for power.

Missing from his speech was his plans for the country when he becomes president.

Mr. Akufo Addo was addressing members of the party and prospective Members of Parliament in the Greater Accra Region, who had gathered to confer on a peaceful organisation of the party’s parliamentary primaries which was characterised by violent acrimony in 2008.

“So, if today you want to be a MP, and you don’t succeed, or you pull out, and you’re prepared to put your shoulder to the wheel, you will not be forgotten when we enter the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

“You’ll not be forgotten. I want you all to remember this”.

“I want you all to remember that everybody who helps us win will have his reward when we come back,” he said.

He mentioned three key things that the party ought to do if it wants to win the 2012 elections-hard work, smartness and courage.

Smartness because, their opponents, the NDC, “believe in all kinds of politics”, he said.

Amongst the three requirements, he cited courage as the most vital to prosecute the election which he termed a battle because Akwatia, Chereponi and Atiwa, which he had mentioned in his Koforidua speech as the place where the NPP taught the NDC a small lesson.

“We know of the examples of Atiwa, Chereponi and Akwatia that our opponents don’t believe in peaceful, free and fair elections.

They believe in elections where there is a lot of “bugabuga” (violence), thugs, cutlasses, knives, bullets, violence.

“That is the opponent we have to face, and I am saying, those who think the way to power and to success in the election of 2012 is by violence and intimidation, let them think again, let them think again, that is why I am saying that at the end of the day, all die be die! All die be die! All die be die,” he screamed to the point of losing his voice.

He added: “We in the NPP have been fighting all our lives for democracy in Ghana, and for the ballot box to be the instrument for making government.

We believe in free, fair and transparent elections, and we are not going to be cheated by force of violence; if indeed, the people of Ghana want us, that is why our cry today is all die be die,” he shouted, adding: “Don’t forget one thing, that this party we’re descendents of men and women of courage”.

“The Obetsebi Lamptey, JB Danquah, Attoh Quarshie, were men who were ready to put their lives down for freedom in our country.

We are their descendants, and it has come to our turn to defend freedom and democracy in Ghana.

We want our opponents to know that we are ready for the task of defending democracy in Ghana,”

Meanwhile, The Herald has observed that those putting up a spirited defence for Nana Addo on his “all die be die” and tribal insinuations are mostly those with Akan lineage.

The other ethnic groups within the party are completely silent on the matter. Also noted is that persons like Yaw Buaben-Asamoah and Frank Agyekum who were instrumental in the Alan Kyeremanten campaign have also gone silent.

Religious leaders have, in the past, issued what became known as the Pastoral Letter in which ex-President Rawlings was condemned for likening then sitting President John Agyekum Kufuor to a notorious criminal in the person of Ataa Ayi.

In its issue of Saturday, April 9, 2005, The ‘Daily Graphic’ reported a Pastoral Letter as follows: “Leaders of the church in Ghana, yesterday attacked ‘indecency’ in Ghanaian politics, and demanded an apology from former President Jerry John Rawlings for certain statements recently attributed to him.

“In one of the most critical Pastoral Letters lately, the heads of the Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Pentecostal churches said whatever the grievances, the President was the persona of the nation, and “disrespect towards him is tantamount to bringing the people of Ghana into contempt, disrepute, dishonour and disgrace. In that light, it is unconscionable for the President to be called a thief.

It is equally difficult to condone the couplet ‘Ataa Ayi nie, Kufuor nie’.

“The Most Rev. Dr. Justice Akrofi, the Anglican Bishop of Accra and Archbishop of the Province of West Africa, Most Rev. Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church; Rt. Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso, the Moderator of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church of Ghana and Apostle Dr. Michael Ntumy, the Chairman, Church of Pentecost, said to condone such rhetoric is in effect to open the gate for sliding down into indiscipline, chaos, violence and anarchy.

“They, therefore, demanded an apology for those statements, and called for political discourse of dialogue characterised by mutual respect, coolness, with truth and truthfulness, maturity and sobriety and of decent language”, the report said.