The NPP is quick to create the false impression that all is rosy within the elephant colony when in actual fact, there are deep chasms within the party; with some so deep that there is no way the factions can be brought together.
While the Akyem and Ashanti cabals continue to fight and tear themselves apart, there are other warring factions that are carrying their fight to higher heights as the party is bound to lose the 2012 election.
As it continues to be manifestly clear that Akufo-Addo is going to lose in 2012 because he has no message; has a very bad and questionable image; has surrounded himself with drug barons, prostitutes, pimps and thieves; positioning ambitions for 2016 is turning out to be a devouring dogfight which threatens to consume certain personalities within the party.
One person from the Ashanti cabal who is seriously positioning himself for 2016, is, Manhyia MP, Mathew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo.
Based on factual information, The Informer broke the story about a fortnight ago as regards Napo’s presidential ambition and how he is bragging that he is Kufuor’s choice to lead the Ashanti faction in 2016.
Well, as Napo continues to nurse his ambition to lead the party, one potential opponent, Dan Botwe, NPP MP for Okere, has found himself on Napo’s “Hit List”.
The Informer has it on authority that Napo knows it for a fact that Dan Botwe is a formidable force who has a groundswell of support among the party’s foot soldiers; hence the Manhyia MP’s agenda of derailing whatever presidential ambition Dan has.
As part of the plan to reduce the soaring image of Dan Botwe, The Informer has it on authority that Napo has vowed to do everything possible to make sure Dan Botwe loses his Okere seat in 2012.
According to The Informer’s very credible sources, Napo has convinced himself that Dan Botwe hates him and so has also decided to fight back tooth and nail.
Napo has not hidden his deep hatred for Dan Botwe because the former has publicly complained bitterly about how the latter moved his troops into the Manhyia constituency during the recent primaries to work against he the incumbent.
“During the recent primaries, Dan Botwe sent people to Kumasi to work against Napo and even though the plan did not work, Napo has vowed to seek revenge come 2012” the source said.
“Since Dan was the one who fired the first salvo, Napo has also sworn to invade Okere with cash and other inducements to make sure that Dan Botwe loses his seat” the source added.
According to what The Informer has picked up, so deep is the divide between Napo and Dan Botwe that nobody is daring to get them to smoke the peace pipe.
Indeed, some of Napo’s hatred for Dan Botwe is directly linked to the fact that former President Kufuor also dislikes Dan.
It is a matter of public knowledge that Dan Botwe does not have an iota of respect for Kufuor’s IQ; leading to both men being at loggerheads for years.
The enmity between Napo and Dan has so degenerated that Dan has taken a back seat from Akufo-Addo’s lifeless campaign.
There is no denying the fact that when it comes to election matters, Dan Botwe is miles and miles ahead of Napo yet when Akufo-Addo recently announced his convoluted campaign architecture, Napo, a political neophyte, was the one appointed Director of Elections.
It is believed that in order to relegate Dan Botwe to the background, Napo lobbied for the position of Director of Elections.
“Napo needs a CV that will match up to Dan’s and so he lobbied for the position” a source said.
“Indeed, the more Dan Botwe stays away from the campaign, the more excited people like Napo and Boakye Agyarko become because they are damn scared that Dan’s presence will pale them into insignificance” the source added.
What Napo does not seem to know is the fact that his arrogance; disrespectful and insulting behaviour, cum his abrasive nature has set him on a collision course with lots of people within the NPP.
Right in his Manhyia backyard, there are lots of people who hate Napo with a passion and are enraged that the MP is carrying himself around as Kufuor’s chosen successor to lead the NPP after 2012.
“Napo was not the one who should have taken over from Addo-Kufuor but they used money and intimidation to give it to him. Some of us are quietly angry and when the time comes, we will teach him a very bitter lesson” a senior member of the party in Kumasi said to The Informer on condition of strict anonymity.
It would be interesting to see how Napo realises his ambition of taking over from Akufo-Addo when the latter loses in 2012 because from all indications, Napo would have to climb over very tall mountains and jump over very high hurdles to make it to the top of the NPP ladder.