I listened to Nana Akufo-Addo make statements and promises on his just ended “Rise and Build” Tour, and I can say on authority that some people are not telling him the truth.

For example, Nana Akufo Addo was quoted as saying in Kumasi that in the 2000 elections, then candidate Kuffour achieved some 72% in the 1st round. In the 2nd round, he achieved 79.5%, which round off to 80%. This means victory for him and victory for the NPP.

Let us (NPP) understand that 80% of the popular vote in Ashanti must come to us and he is the next President of Ghana. He continued to say, “We need every single vote in Ashanti to be able to get the 80% target we have set.”

This statement by Nana Akufo-Addo clearly shows that whoever told him that 80% votes is achievable in Ashanti Region did not tell him the truth. The truth is that the Ashanti Region votes of the NPP is shrinking. This is the truth as told by Mr. S.K. Boafo, the former Ashanti Regional Minister.

He said, “I observed a worrying development in Kumasi when we got there. The reception of the people towards us was worrying. I saw it and I was disturbed.” He added that “These days people don’t care even if they see the NPP flag, there is something wrong and we need to fix it.”

This is in fact, the true state of the NPP in Ashanti Region. The funny thing is that as soon as the video of Mr. Boafo came out, the NPP came out with some funny images suggesting that there were more support in Ashanti than what Mr. Boafo was suggesting.

When you zoom the images, you see that half of the people were looking south and the other half were looking north. They imposed two different pictures and they thought they were deceiving Ghanaians. Nana Addo sees these images and makes unreasonable projections.

Nana Addo achieved 79.5% in the 2nd round because there only two political parties involved. So for Nana to tell us he can still achieve 80% with all the political parties involved in 2016 means he is being lied to, or maybe he is either just imagining the impossibility or he is preparing the minds of NPP members towards saying that the NDC stole the elections.

Nana Addo has felt that the NDC’s one million votes in Ashanti is attainable. The era when Ashanti Region used to be the strong stronghold of the NPP is long gone.
President John Mahama has killed that reality. It is now an imagination and a dream.

In an interview with Citi Breakfast Show on October 12, 2015 Nana Akufo Addo indicated that Internal NPP fights will not affect his chances in the 2016 elections. This is what he had to say to it. “I see those challenges to the level of the National leadership; the steering committee and its members. You don’t see any of that on the grounds fortunately from our party.”

He added, “it appears that a lot of people are determined to get on with the main task of winning minds, influencing the voters next year and hoping that we the leadership of the party will resolve whatever problems we have at the level.”

How can a party without a functioning Chairman and General Secretary resolve their own problems at the top?

I first heard this argument that the internal NPP fight will not affect their chances in 2016 by Sammy Awuku on an American radio. I later heard it from Nana Akomea on a Ghanaian radio and now from Nana Addo on another Ghana radio.

You see, these are the very bad people who are not telling Nana Addo the truth. It is unfortunate that when these bad people tell Nana such stories, he doesn’t think through them to know that he should take a second look at them. I don’t blame Nana Addo.

He is too old and most of the time, he thinks about his health more than the stories bad people tell him. These two guys were his Communication Directors in the 2012 elections and they did him no good. They hyped the free SHS in 2012 as if Nana was going to win by 80% of the votes. It did not happen and they are still around and giving false hope and arguing falsely. They argue as if NPP candidates have no competitors.

Ladies and Gentleman, how can Nana Akufo-Addo, a presidential candidate of the biggest opposition party accept the above story that the internal fighting in the NPP would not affect their chances in the 2016 elections? How does Nana think that he can manage the country so well as to banish poverty from it and yet cannot manage his small party? If Nana Addo thinks he can banish poverty from Ghana, he must first banish poverty from the NPP, because the way the NPP executives are stealing the party’s money is too much.

The way Nana Addo talks about his leadership skills is like someone who has divorced three times and currently a bachelor but wants to be the head of the marriage counsel team of a serious church. If that person can counsel marriage partners to keep their marriage, why is he a bachelor? If Nana Addo thinks he can manage Ghana’s economy well, he should first manage the economy of the NPP well. The NPP is always “broke” because the leaders are stealing the little contributions that come from their Parliamentarians and also opening secret bank accounts with it.

Nana Akufo-Addo is also reported by Atinka FM as labelling President Mahama as a “copycat” President. This is what he said about that. “Look at what has happened to the SADA, they have badly implemented them….. the free education has now turned into progressive free SHS policy.

I am appealing to the President not to touch known policies which the NPP wants to implement because he destroys whatever policy he hears the NPP wants to implement” Is this Nana Akufo-Addo a serious man at all?

Fellow Ghanaians, if Nana Addo is admitting that President Mahama is doing all that is on his mind, then why does he want to be a President? So, is that why Nana has no campaign message for his 2016 elections? Is this an admission of defeat? So if in the very unfortunate event and Nana becomes President, what is he going to do? You see why I said Nana Addo is not being told the truth?

The truth is that Nana Addo does not need to campaign to become President because the current President is doing all that is in his mind. Nana said that the attitude of President Mahama, has led to the NPP restraining itself from further making public some of its policies and “we would only implement them when we assume the reins of power.”

Do you see any serious person who wants to become the President making such a statement? That is, I will not tell you what I will do for you but just vote for me and when I come to power, I will banish poverty from the country. If Nana Addo has any solutions to the current problems in Ghana, he should offer them and let the debate begins. The truth must be told to Nana that in today’s politics, winning is about offering alternative solutions. If Nana sits down quietly but demand for a new voters register, he will lose and his lost will be much bigger compared to 2012.

The bottom line is Nana Akufo-Addo will never become President and that truth must be told to him. People should not be telling him that he will secure 80% votes in Ashanti Region when in fact, he is losing his support there. People should not tell him that the NPP internal fighting will not affect his chances in 2016 because the recklessness of the party will be about 80% reason why people will not vote for the NPP. If he can’t fix his party, he can’t fix the country.

People should not tell him to call the President as a “copycat” President and he should immediately stop talking about free SHS because the President is focused on making Ghana a better country to live in. Ghanaians in and around the world are seeing the better Ghana President John Mahama is delivering to his people.

This is why they will easily renew his mandate to continue his good works into 2020. This is the truth that must be told to Nana Akufo-Addo because this is the gospel truth. One other truth is that President John Mahama’s one-touch victory is on course.

President Mahama is the most hard working President in this forth republic and come 2016, God will reward him for all his hard work with a clear victory where no one will doubt it.

Lawrence Appiah-Osei (Protocol)
Chairman
Friends of John Dramani Mahama (USA Chapter)
703-400-1621
Appiah65@Hotmail.com