New Patriotic Party (NPP) is now a God-fearing Christian, so his party wants Ghanaians to believe. From Assipong in the Western region, last Sunday, where NPP supporters converged for a prayer session, the NPP flagbearer has emplaned to the United States to join others for the 60th National Prayer Breakfast of the United States.

Ignorant about the fact that many persons, including Deputy Minister of Information, Hon Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa were also invited to the same programme, supporters of the NPP had claimed the invitation of their flagbearer was exclusive to him alone in Ghana.

At the Essipong partisan church rally, the NPP flagbearer, in a saintly rhetoric had declared judgement on President John Evans Atta Mills in the name of God. He had this to tell the partisan congregation: “This year will be a time for choice; a choice between stagnation and progress, between non-performance and competence, between corruption and integrity. Well, I have no doubt that the Ghanaian people will favour us with the blessing of the Almighty.” Obviously these descriptions of the President Mills by Nana Akufo-Addo indicate his set criteria for selection between him and the NDC leader as the next President of the republic of Ghana in this year’s presidential election. In the thinking of Nana Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana must be progressive, competent, incorruptible and a man of integrity.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s criteria however dwarfs him as far as President Mills is concerned, and if it is anything to go by, then the NPP flagbearer better start putting himself together for another resounding thrashing by the NDC presidential candidate in 2012.

Nana Akufo-Addo wants the Ghanaian electorate to vote for a man who favours progress rather than stagnation. Of course not him, but President Mills is that man of progress. Like Vice President John Mahama said not too long ago, so much progress has been made under the Mills-led NDC government over the last three years it has been in power that the detractors of the government are perplexed about what their eyes are seeing. President Mills has paid almost all the gargantuan debts left behind by the erstwhile NPP government in which Nana Akufo-Addo played an integral part. Typical of such, are the TOR debt that nearly collapsed the Ghana Commercial Bank and the huge indebtedness to contractors in addition to the ¢15 billion debt the NPP government left at Metro Mass Transit for just fuel bought on credit, due to corruption and mismanagement. Under President Mills, MMT now has the wherewithal to be able to buy 150 new buses for its fleet. Interestingly, the NPP went to MMT to access buses on credit to convey supporters to its Essipong prayer service and when they were denied, they run to peddle falsehoods in the media that they were denied the buses after which they went back to MMT to pay for the services of the buses. That is prudent management. That is progress.

‘Saint’ Akufo-Addo is telling the Ghanaian electorate to vote a competent person other than a non-performer as president. Coming events cast their showdown. The NPP flagbearer was a key minister in the Kufuor-led NPP government and his record is public knowledge.

Nana Akufo-Addo flopped as Attorney General and Minister of Justice. Cases such as Mr Tsatsu Tsikata Vs the Attorney General, which Akufo-Addo titled Tsatsu Tsikata vs the President in the Fast Track High Court case, Ya Na’s body part holders who he charged for murder instead of possession of human parts, his failure to prosecute the three Dzorwulu NPP drug queens, who were arrested with heroine at the Kotoka International Airport and several others, are a clear evidence of Akufo-Addo’s incompetence. His record as Foreign Minister also is nothing to write home about. He was at post when land belonging to the foreign ministry was shared among NPP apparatchiks. His cousin, Gabby Otchere Darko claimed Nana Akufo-Addo deemed the sharing or ‘sale’ of the land unethical and so refused to partake in it. The question is, how competently did Nana Akufo-Addo look after state property entrusted into his hands as a minister of state? ‘Saint’ Akufo-Addo also wants Ghanaians to vote for an incorruptible president. A founding member of the NPP and senior citizen of Ghana, Mr Kwami Pianim has said publicly that he would vouch for the integrity of President Mills any day because the president is totally incorruptible. It was the same person who stated ahead of NPP’s flagbearership race that ‘any corrupt idiot’ could wish to become flagbearer of the NPP. He did not support Nana Akufo-Addo. Nana Akufo-Addo was in the NPP government when according to Harona Issekou, then NPP chairman, the then President Kufuor was collecting bribes as in kickbacks at the Castle, which corrupt monies the then president was personally administering in running the NPP.

Most of all regarding the integrity of ‘Saint Akufo-Addo, wikileaks publications have revealed that he is a ‘wee’ smoker, womaniser and arrogant. In fact, his onetime close buddy, Mr Kwesi Pratt, and his political adviser, Dr Kwesi Aning have been copiously quoted as confirming Nana Akufo-Addo’s drug habit. According to the NPP, the partisan prayer session is to mark the official commencement of the party’s campaigns for the 2012 general elections. It is interesting however that even before the official commencement of his campaign for the forthcoming elections, Nana Akufo-Addo has decided to shoot himself in the foot by raising the bar too high for himself, as he is completely dwarfed by President Mills according to his own criteria.