Opinions of Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Columnist: Amankwah, Nana Kofi

NPPs Akufo Addo Continues His Factionalism Drama

Akufo Addo and his cronies, whose actions caused the party to loose the general elections in 2008, have started their stupidity and dubious activities without thinking of the consequences. They have started a membership drive secretly to register polling executive at the constituency level. In addition, he wants to sponsor the first and second vice chairmanship and chairmanship card membership drive. After leading the party to the general elections and loosing to the opposition NDC, this aforementioned individual has not yet acknowledged his encouragement of factionalism within the party that causes the NPP the general election.

The essence of his motives of starting these membership drives early this stages is to get his own people inside the system. Consequently, he is now paying for their membership fees to elect him next Congress. This is political nonsense from Akufo Addo and his mafia cronies. They continued to think by conducting these subversive secret activities it will help him to win the 2012 presidential nomination. The National NPP executive members, who are currently helping Akufo Addo, also wanted to keep their various positions at the National Congress by assisting Akufo Addo register these members for their interest. The actions of Akufo Addo and some National Executive members who are conducting these exercises show a typical a totalitarian aggression against others who has ambitions to contest for the nomination in 2012. This is not an example of a affinity for inclusiveness for the NPP members. However, the continuation of his nefarious actions will to incite division and disastrously destroy the party’s chances in the 2012 general elections, if the party members across the country do not step in and shut down his political garbage. When Akufo Addo and his supporters chant and proclaim, “We are taking back our party” they think they are above reproached within the NPP party. The point is, which party are they taking back? We all know the UNC, which was created in the 1979, is for them, but not PFPs NPP.

This Akufo Addo is still not learning from his past mistakes when he created factionalism in 1979 general election between the (PFP) and (PNP). This Mafia politician cannot acknowledge the biggest challenge facing the NPP is his own factionalism monopoly that divides the party to be defeated in 2008 elections. He now believes by using his own revenues to register the polling station- executives card baring members and the first and second vice Chairmanship from the constituency level will pave the pathway for him. Akufo Addo does not care for the interest of the party’s welfare but his dubious political self-interest. The most serious aspect to this is some of the majority present NPP card holding members are not truly NPP members. They are all NDC members who were able to register as NPP members in order to get loans the NPP were providing to its members to establish their own businesses and to become self –sufficient. The question is why Akufo Addo is trying to register these carpet beggars to hold executive positions within the party who are not true party members.

There is one thing NPP members should acknowledge, the majority of Ghanaians will never vote for a candidate who is very arrogant and disrespectful to his fellow country men. Through his utterances and also having the age of 70 years by 2012 general elections. His age and behavior alone will continue to disqualify and deny him the chances to become president for the NPP at 2012. The NPP members across the country should voice their opinions, discouragements and reject the Akyem mafia factionalism which he has created within the NPP. Politics is not about factionalism or ethnicity but numbers. By 2012 at the age of almost 70 years the NPP needs a candidate who will attract the youth votes, the floating voters and regions where they can have numbers of votes. An innovative candidate who could also strategize his agenda to attract independent and swing voters across the country for NPP to retain the power Akufo Addo helped the opposition NDC party to retrieve from them during the 2008 elections.

From Nana Kofi Amankwah (New York)