By mid next year should all things go according to plan, the NPP would elect its flagbearer for the 2012 elections. Though this timeline is barely 5 months away, we have not witnessed the intensity that is normally associated with the NPP flagbearership race as we have come to know it. Possibly, this is due to the recognition that there is a clear favourite in the race in the person of Nana Akufo-Addo unlike we had previously. It could also be due to the fact that the various structures within the Party are still in the process of electing their executives.

Whatever the case is, I expect the race to be cast in much spotlight in the upcoming weeks and months. But I am not waiting for the spotlight to be thrown on the race before I start my analysis which I should admit is going to make many people happy. Today, I intend to do a critical analysis of Nana Addo’s ambition to lead the party juxtaposing it a few times with that of Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng and their pedigree in the NPP.

In the run-up to the December 2007 congress, it is widely accepted that Alan Kyeremanteng received tremendous support from the then President H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor. We do know that many DCE’s got into so much trouble for not supporting Alan, he also had the luxury of inexhaustible funds and many other such resources at his disposal. However Nana Akufo-Addo still managed to beat him to the flagberership by a substantial margin. Indeed many are of the belief that President Kufuor’s contribution to the 732 votes cast for Alan Kyeremanteng outnumber 500 meaning that Alan himself attracted just around 200 votes for himself.

Obviously congress 2010 would not hold in it the same intricacies like the December 2007 congress but the fact still remains that Alan Kyeremanteng in all likelihood is going to lose again to Nana Akufo-Addo for the simple fact that Nana Addo appeals better to the Party rank and file and indeed to Ghanaians at large. I know some would disagree with this point but this is the truth.

Nana Addo appeals first and foremost to the NPP; Alan does not and I wonder how anyone who does not appeal to the majority of the membership of the NPP can win within the NPP and organize the Party to win the National Polls. Any critical look at the long tradition of the NPP or the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition would know that the NPP is a party that appreciates good and hard work within the party. The NPP holds in its philosophy that to be rewarded, you need to work for it and it also believes in selfless sacrifice for the Party and the nation at large.

Unfortunately for Alan Kyeremanteng, these features are not and can not be associated with him. Akufo-Addo till date remains the much more experienced in the workings of the Party than anyone in contention for the flagbearership. Nana Addo has served in numerous capacities within the Party that to start to mention would be just a waste of time. Sometimes I hear people retort that the flagbearer is not a retirement benefit but the truth is also that the flagbearership is also not for the lazy nor the handsome and certainly not for the inexperienced. As a Party rooted so much in history we certainly do not compromise on our traditions and ideology and any leader must fit the bill to be able to lead us. The NPP throughout the years has proven this be it in National Executive positions or in the choice of a flagbearer-from Prof. Adu-Boahen through J.A. Kufuor to Nana Akufo-Addo. Indeed none of the stalwarts of the NPP achieved their status by being lazy or green; they sacrificed a lot for the Party and the nation to the extent that some even had to lay down their lives to protect the ideology and the tradition in which they believed so much. J.B Danquah was detained and died in detention; Obetsebi Lamptey suffered the same fate among numerous others. Other stalwarts like K.A. Busia, R.R Amponsah and S.D Dombo all sacrificed a lot for the tradition and the country before they achieved the reverence to which we accord them today. In short they were selfless.

Certainly this is not the time to change such a worthy tradition for the interests of any individual because above all, it rewards hard work and implores aspiring leaders to be selfless and committed to the course of the Party. This philosophy of the NPP, I believe is perfect for any organization that seeks to succeed. History from our past experiences merged with our ideology ultimately dictates the direction for the future. Therefore any leader must be part of the history and know how to protect the ideology for future progress.

Nana Addo by this criteria scores perfect marks. Nana Addo at the age of 33, returned to the country while many were on their way out to fight the repressive regime of Kutu Acheampong as General Secretary of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice. After the overthrow of the Acheampong/Akuffo regime, Nana Addo continued to be very influential in seeking the protection of individual rights, fighting for Democratic governance and helping in the reorganization of the Danquah-Busia tradition by establishing what would become later the local organs of the NPP. In the landmark case of Amoako Tuffuor vrs. Attorney General, Akufo-Addo captured the imaginations of the nation as he battled numerous odds to establish the principles of Separation of Powers and judicial independence, the tenets we are so proud of today.

At the onset of Multi-Party Democracy in 1992, Nana Addo was exceedingly instrumental in reorganizing the Danquah-Busiah Tradition and in establishing it once again as a major political force in the fourth republic. He was part of the team that drafted the NPP Constitution and was renowned for the weekly Press Conferences the Party gave at the Ring Way Hotel which incidentally belonged to Akufo-Addo and was bombed later by the vicious NDC administration. But perhaps more instrumental was his contribution to the first National Delegates Congress of the Party. His service within the internal structures of the NPP and in Parliament was even more sterling.

These activities endeared him to the millions of Danquah-Busiah faithfuls as well as many other Ghanaians making him a household name across the country especially after the Kume Preko Demonstrations in the mid 1990s. Therefore it is no surprise that Nana Akufo-Addo’s popularity stretches across the length and breadth of the country and across all age segments. Obviously, his investment of time and resources in the Party and nation has paid off and clearly manifested in December 2007 NPP congress.

On Alan’s part many point to his good looks, height etc. But these arguments even if true has and would never wash. Ghanaians are known to look out for much more than looks. Again, I wonder why anyone would choose to sell his key attribute as that of his looks. Is anyone telling me in appointing the Managing Director of a Company, he or she would look out for the most handsome while there are others who are more intelligent and experienced? Obviously not! So why should politics be different?

On the question of commitment, selfless dedication and hardwork to the Party, Alan scores poorly compared to Nana Akufo-Addo or any other individual in the race for flagbearer. Alan who was never known in the struggle to capture power in 2000 after some three decades in the wilderness, worsened his case by resigning from the Party in 2008. This was a monumental failure of thought on his part and has undermined any chance he would ever have to become Party leader. Whatever happened to him and his supporters did not in the least warrant a resignation. Indeed at some point after his resignation, there were strong reports from within his camp that he was considering running as an Independent candidate. This is obviously not a sign of dedication to the tradition. No loyalist or true leader would abandon the ship and plunder his followers into confusion. True leaders and loyalist no matter how grave the situations are, stay in and fight if others have different opinions on issues. After all is variation of opinion not the very basis of democracy?

In ending, I believe that Nana Addo has a better advantage over Alan than he even had prior to the 2007 Congress due to his influential role and his investment of time and money in ensuring that the Grassroots of the Party get a say in the Party and get the chance to decide who leads the Party. Alan for me shot himself in the foot by going against the recent amendments; no one can lead if that individual cannot defend the interests of the ordinary man he seeks to lead. This might prove to be undoing this time round. Nana will floor Alan again!

Nana Adu Bosompem

Oforikrom

Kumasi Nanaadubosompem@yahoo.co.uk