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Once again, the need has arisen for the NPP to choose a new crop of National Executive to steer the affairs of this great party by the end of the year. The kind of leaders we choose for our party, will be a reflection of our sense of of judgment on how we want the party to perform in the 2012 election..

The competition over the National Chairmanship position will be challenging

but I believe it would not be too big a challenge to NPP Kingmakers because the party is full of discerning and well informed people who will rightly determine how the party should chart its course by electing the right leaders. Our vision as members of a NPP remains and together, we can work to achieve our ultimate goals to uplift the party's image. We must strive to restore the hope and confidence of Ghanaians.

The NPP need to turn a new page, adapt to a new paradigm shift and embrace a new brand of leadership.The party needs a disciplined, dynamic and a visionary chairman whose love for the party is without question. A new chairman with a strong commitment to organization and party-building skills is needed.

Leadership is about people. It is about how to lead people to achieve the desired outcomes for a course . According to the Book of Proverbs, the qualities of good leadership are hard work, good listening skills, wise planning and common sense, ability to stand adversity and pressure and openness to new ideas.

The NPP need someone who has these character traits to be able exhibit good leadership qualities. The grass root supporters and other admirers of the party are currently disillusioned due to some avoidable and elementary mistakes as well as self-inflicted wounds the Party suffered, especially before the last elections. The once popular party that the nation embraced is now a pale shadow of it s former glory. In view of this there is a general impression that the entire National Executive should exit for their failure to lead the party to a third term victory especially when it appeared their pedigrees assured victory.

I have a strong conviction that Jacob Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey commonly called Jake Obetsebi Lamptey has what it takes to be an efficient, effective and a progressive chairman to take over from Mac Manu. As a credible newspaper recently put it: "Jake enjoys considerable grassroots support and several of the people in the party leadership are comfortable with him. He is considered as 'conveniently and positively predictable' as a strategist and grafter because of his vast experience in party management and campaign organisation since 1979". Quality leadership is a potent mix of good character and strategy and I strongly believe Jake is the mix. He is a strategist, a pragmatic situation analyst and a good lobbyist. Jake has the character, leadership skills and experience to become chairman of NPP.

Jake has served the NPP for long and is one of the few who sacrificed their

time, resources and spirit to consolidate, advance and improved on the

fortunes of the Danquah-Busia political tradition and the NPP over the

years. As A three times Greater Accra Regional chairman and two times winning winning campaign Manager he is well baked to take up the chairmanship position.

He is a team player and therefore creates opportunities for people

working under him to learn and grow. He is the only Minister under

ex-President Kufour's government who's four deputies were promoted to

full Ministers. He is, down-to-earth and politically astute enough to connect with the average folks.

He is someone who is able to mix well and relate maximally with different shades of people- the youth, women and other vulnerable groups. He has a passion for the promotion of the well fare of the youth and is down to earth. He is accommodating and listens carefully to people even under pressure.

There is a feeling among the younger generation of NPP that, the party needs to change itself with regards to the way it deals with its youth before it begins thinking about retaking power. The youth are craving new ideas and leadership action and I have the conviction it is Jake who would be able to meet their aspirations.

"Insha'Allah" ( If it is Gods Will), an Arabic term evoked by Muslims to indicate hope for an aforementioned event to occur in the future is often used by Jake and so Muslims loves him although he is not one of them. In fact they feel so comfortable with him. His style of mostly dressing like a Northerner is admired and appreciated by people from the three Northern Regions and I hear he loves eating Ewe food.

Jake is a Unifier and would not drag the party to wallow in the bitterness of divisions and factionalism. If the roots of disunity getting firm in the NPP are not immediately addressed, the party could be heading for serious problems in the 2012 elections. In fact, it could lead to the break-up of the party. To have any chance of winning we must unite our party to hold our own and the best person to do that is Jake. Having served as Campaign chairman fo both Kufour and Akufo-Addo as well as most of the prominent people in NPP with greater co-operation and understanding, I believe he will be in the best position to unite the party.

Under a Jake chairmanship, I believe NPP foot soldiers, activists and all relevant stakeholders will be duly recognised and if possible rewarded for their good work. As Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, he created a "Party Liaison Office" to deal with concerns of party members across the country, a situation that made party activists happy. Continued    Source: Mahama Haruna

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