; Yes, Nana Addo Fits The Bill

On Wednesday, September 30, the Chronicle published a story culled from a speech made by Prof. Frimpong Boateng setting criteria for potential flagbearers of the New Patriotic Party. In the report, the renowned Professor stated what NPP members ought to look out for in deciding who to lead them.

I read the report carefully and in the end came to one conclusion that the good Professor was secretly endorsing Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo for the Party’s flagbearership again.

It would be recalled that Prof. Frimpong Boateng prior to the December 2007 congress gave the indication that he preferred Nana Addo to any of the other candidates especially at the Kasoa rally that outdoored all of the 17 candidates. Again, Frimpong Boateng was part of the 16 candidates (including Kwabena Agyepong, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, and Yaw Osafo Maafo etc) who declared their support for Nana Addo after the first round of voting in Legon.

However since the December 2008 general elections, Prof. Boateng has been silent till late last month when he set his criteria which clearly points to Nana Addo as the best choice for 2012. For example, Prof. Frimpong Boateng stated that the NPP needs a visionary and credible leader to wrestle power from the NDC in 2012. A critical look at this statement and similar look at the profile of Nana Akufo-Addo points to him as the most credible and visionary personality available to lead the NPP.

Nana Addo’s credibility as a person and as a politician is not in doubt. As an individual, Nana Addo is without doubt an incorruptible and selfless servant of the people. Since the 70’s he has selflessly been at the forefront of the struggle for the protection of individual rights and civil liberties. Again, throughout the decades Nana Akufo Addo who is a legal luminary and a business magnate without a single case of impropriety, fraud, deceit or whatsoever been raised against him. The same applies to his years as a Member of Parliament and Minister. Indeed despite the frantic efforts by the vicious NDC regime to indict most of the NPP public officials not a single fault has been found on the conduct of Nana Addo. Thus Nana Addo’s credibility as a person, a lawyer, a businessman, a humble public servant a tough but fair minded politician is intact and beyond compare.

A flagbearer must be someone who has invested his time, money and even his life for the benefit of the NPP and what it professes to stand for: Democracy! There is no doubt that Nana Addo’s deep involvement in the highly risky “peoples movement for freedom and justice (PMFJ);” and “Kume Preko” has made him the most deserving candidate for NPP. Nobody in the NPP presidential aspirants list comes close. We cannot have a leader who has not sacrificed and invested in the party’s fortunes.

Nana Addo’s political credibility has been cemented by his 49.8% showing in the December General Elections. This is more so because it was Nana Addo’s first attempt at the Presidency. In the history of the Fourth Republic, Nana Addo has been the most impressive candidate, at first showing, performing better than stalwarts like Adu- Boahen, John Agyekum Kuffuor and John Atta Mills. This cannot be doubted and the history of candidates putting up a stronger showing at second attempt establishes Nana as the best man to wrestle power from the NDC in 2012.

In arguing for a visionary leader, Prof. Frimpong Boateng separated the boys from the men and without mentioning any name narrowed the contest to only one person-Nana Akufo Addo because, throughout the NPP no individual has been able to espouse an elaborate vision like Nana Addo. It is clear the 2012 elections can not be toyed with and definitely the NPP will have to put up a candidate who has been tried and tested.

John Agyekum Kufuor and John Mills went through similar historical processes and the NPP is lucky to have Nana Addo at this time of its history.

I pray many stalwarts in the party will also take a cue from the heart surgeon and also throw their weight behind Nana Akufo Addo, he obviously comes across as our best bet for the 2012 watershed elections. Kudos Prof.

Yoofi Eshun

Komenda Central Region eyoofi@yahoo.com