August 27, 2016

By the time the Big and Small Elephants who are currently engaged in serious turf war are done fighting, there will be no grass left for the goats and sheep in this country to fodder on. Just see how the sheer quest for political power by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2016 is burning the party, and you can predict from afar that if this party wins power in 2016, the whole country would be in tartars, as they will daily continue to batter each other.

There are serious deep-seated divisions within the NPP. Never mind those who are trying to sweep the boiling and explosive issues within the NPP under the carpet in order to deceive Ghanaians. The sweltering points will not go away whether Nana Akufo-Addo or Alan Kyeremanten emerges the flagbearer of the NPP for 2016 because they are the reason the NPP is currently on fire.

Nana Akufo-Addo thinks he has served the NPP so well, therefore he believes he must be given the free passageway, with all and sundry within the party standing aside if he decides to run for the flagbearership of the party as many times as he wants. Akufo-Addo’s die-hard supporters also think that Alan is not NPPish enough. Akufo-Addo’s cohorts put the icing on this charge by saying that Alan resigned from the NPP in April of 2008 after he was defeated in the presidential primary by Akufo-Addo.

Alan Kyeremanten resigned from the NPP over his disappointment with Nana Akufo-Addo who used unorthodox and crude methods to beat him during the flagbearership race. Alan, however, explained at the time that supporters of Akufo-Addo following his defeat were harassing his supporters.

But supporters of Akufo-Addo may have forgotten that their man also bolted the party out of selfish tendencies with his late uncle William Ofori Atta “Paa Willie” to form the United National Convention which came third with 17.41% votes during the 1979 elections won by Dr. Hilla Limann.

Therefore, if you are talking about traitors with selfish tendencies within the NPP, Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanten are in the same boat. Between Kyeremanten and Akufo-Addo, none of the two is better. They both flexed their muscles and spat in the face of the NPP when they found their backs to the wall.

The current fire stoking within the NPP is not going to go away any time soon. Akufo-Addo may win the NPP flagbearership easily following his manoeuvres, but that win will come with a huge cost to not only Akufo-Addo but also the NPP in general. Akufo-Addo’s snobbishness and his only desire to be president at all cost which has been highlighted repeatedly, is seen by some NPP supporters as something that will again work against him in 2016, hence their desire not to support him. The baggage is still there.

Others, also strongly feel that Akufo-Addo does not respect Ashantis especially the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu and some kin-pins within the NPP who are Ashantis. If you do not believe this just roll back your camera to November 27, 2012 when the Otumfuo held peace talks with all the presidential candidates at a closed-door meeting. Before the candidates addressed the audience following the meeting, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, was able to impress upon all the candidates not to display their party colours for the sake of unity and peace. Only Nana Akufo-Addo defied and snubbed the Otumfuo when he addressed the audience in his NPP colours. This condescending attitude by Akufo-Addo did not go down well with many Ashantis who believe he has disdain for the Manhyia Palace.

Therefore, if Akufo-Addo wins the flagbearership, many Ashantis have lined up to pay him back. They will not sit down for Akufo-Addo to stoke his fingers into the eyes of Otumfuo who is symbol of unity and authority of the Ashantis. To those people Akufo-Addo respects the Okyehene far better than the Otumfuo.

Alan Kyeremanten stands the slimmest chance of winning the flagbearership of the NPP. In this our age there are many uncertainties so one should not rule Alan out, but if Alan should win, Nana Akufo-Addo will not sit down and cheer him on delightedly. He will bolt the party again and possibly run as an independent candidate. Worse still Akufo-Addo will work so hard that Kyeremanten does not taste the power of the presidency.

People should not underestimate the current fire that is burning within the NPP. The fire will continue to burn all the way to Election Day in 2016. The NPP, just like the Republican Party of USA, always manages to whip its members into submission or cows them from commenting negatively about the party. Therefore, if today we have so many leading members of the party tearing each other apart with one of them even raising the tavern by accusing some Ashanti men of plotting to poison Nana Akufo-Addo, then we ain’t seen nothing yet.

The NPP in its fast quest to secure political power has left its back seriously open and wounded. The tensions that have loaded into the party will not simmer any time soon. And believe me Akufo-Addo loathes Alan for daring to challenge him. As I said any of these two men, who wins the flagbearership will not help the NPP in 2016. The simple reason is NPP is burning! And the simple truth is Akufo-Addo and Alan are the firemen.

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