Insurmountable Roadblocks of Nana Akuffo Addo’s ambition

Let me preface this article with my personal tribute to the late good professor, H.E. John Evans Atta Mills whose sudden and unwelcome death wrecked our hearts on sad 24th July, a day no Ghanaian can forget. I developed a keen interest in politics during the period the late professor launched his 2008 campaign, at the time I took a deep relieving breath and was completely convinced that truth, modesty and genuine patriotism had finally come into politics. Who can tell me that the late professor didn't exude the qualities of truthfulness, humility, modesty, incorruptibility, competence and love for the people? May his gentle soul rest in peace!

After his funeral, as expected, our politicians have once again stepped into the muddy waters of politics and are at each other's throat. However, I salute our politicians, we Ghanaians are lucky that we have such descent politicians who believe that politics can be conducted with decorum and issues-based approach.

If you are reading this article then you might be one of these two persons: an NPP supporter or an NDC supporter. Otherwise you're a nonpartisan Ghanaian who's curious about politics. Whoever you are, I believe reading about the insurmountable roadblocks of Akuffo-Addo's presidential ambition is a patriotic thing to do. There's a countdown timer on www.allghananews.com/election2012 that always reminds me of how close the general elections are.

I combed through my brains and came out with four things. These things may be speculative or even not true but the fact is, they are in the public domain and like it or not, they will affect Nana's presidential bid. In my earlier article entitled 'a tale of three kings' I alluded to the fact that this is Nana's last chance of ever becoming a president in the living land of Ghana; his injury time.

Now let us look at the things I believe will with absolute certainty, hinder Nana from becoming a president;

ALL DIE BE DIE
This unfortunate statement was made by no less a person than the man himself Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo on one of his campaign walkabouts. It is unfortunate not because of what the statement has been interpreted to mean but because he made it. In interacting with some NPP youth, Nana sought to explain that; the Akan people have always been mistakenly described as gentle and scared of violence (or war) and therefore urged his supporters not to stand aside and look if there is any attempt to intimidate them during the elections in December in order for the intimidators to cheat. After that, the listening youth burst into noisemaking and chanting in support of what he said.

Not long after, Kennedy Agyapong, repeated this in a more dramatic and warlike manner to the extent that the authorities had to arrest him on treasonable charges. He was later given bail on health grounds and I believe the case is still pending. In the wake of these developments, there were some key figures of NPP who supported this agenda of engendering violence and even war to as it were “win the elections at all costs”.

Even before Kennedy, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, chairman of NPP also made similar hideous statements of tribalism in our politics by comparing the Akan people in Cote d'voire who violently messed up their country through election related fighting to the Akans in Ghana. According to him, both are of the same blood and therefore the Akans in Ghana should be prepared to fight. So flagbearer, Nana Akuffo-Addo; chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey; honourable member, Kennedy Agyapong and other figures of the NPP have all made a clarion call for war should there be any attempt to intimidate supporters of NPP.

The question is, why insight people onto violence to destroy public peace even in the face of no intimidation and injustice? Paranoia? Even before the elections, NPP have cause to believe that they will be cheated. Are they preparing the grounds to dispute the yet-to-be-held election results? Is Nana employing desperate tactics to have a power-sharing deal should he lose in this last chance of his?

In the case of Nana's statement, even if it is true that the Akan people are wrongly perceived, was it wise to single out the Akans? Is he only representing the Akans? Is the NPP for the Akans? True, that the Akans constitute the majority tribe in Ghana but there are many other tribes in Ghana who feel very offended by these statements and the NPP must know Akans alone do not win elections.

So the contrast between war and peace to some extent is going to play a major role in December. The late professor, aka Asomdwehene (King of peace) always said there will be peace no matter what the detractors do. Due to this the NDC have partly based their campaign on peace and oneness for all Ghanaians be it Akans, Ewes, Ga-Damgbes, Northerners or what have you.

AKYEM and ASHANTI element
The Akyem people of which Nana Akuffo-Addo is a prominent and proud member are (as I have read) hereditary enemies of the Ashantis. This happened when a group of Akyem warriors ambushed an Ashanti warrior troupe and killed nearly all of them whiles they were advancing on the Akyems in one of their many conquests. Ashantis were heavily aggrieved and to date still bore a flaming animosity towards the Akyem people. Who can tell me Nana will sweep the Ashanti votes as the NPP did in the past under Kufuor who is an Ashanti?

If this enmity still exist, then Nana Akuffo-Addo who is from the royal house of the Okyenhene cannot pay allegiance (or even respect) to the Ashantihene and certainly the Ashantis are not happy by this situation. There are speculations that NPP has been hijacked by the Akyem political caucus making the Ashanti NPP members quite unhappy.

POSSIBLE INTERNAL SABOTAGE
If you don't have proof to something then you say it is an allegation, so it is being alleged that certain individuals within the New Patriotic Party whose names are not known have interest in Nana's failure. If that is so then it is more likely than not that these people whether individually or collectively are working in the shades of darkness to pull Nana down from his golden horse.

In Kumasi, an Ashantiland and the second largest city in Ghana, there's speculation that some people (not NDC people) are working in the background to make sure for December 2012, NPP gets less votes than hitherto. If there is any iota of truth in this then Nana can kiss his presidential ambition good-bye because Kumasi is the powerhouse of NPP's votes.

This sabotage could also be stemmed from the Akyem and Ashanti scuffle I earlier mentioned. This places Nana in an impossible and tough position as he fights both external and internal forces against his presidential ambition.

MARGINAL ISSSUES
The ruling NDC party is a tough opponent to face. Before the demise of president Mills the NPP was if not constantly, frequently attacking the NDC government by the health status of Mills, saying he was unfit to carry out the business of government and therefore should be voted out. That seemed like the campaign focus of the NPP until sad 24th July. Some people even say that his death was caused by the vilification mounted on him by NPP hence the name of his funeral cloth “Se Asa” which literally means 'hasn't it (what you wanted) finished or come to pass?'

The people who really vote are 'the great unwashed' and these people don't really focus on campaign messages and issues based politics. They listen to their hearts.

Now the campaign focus of Nana Akuffo-Addo is shifted to his ludicrous idea of theoretically sending nearly four million children to secondary school and housing them, feeding them, tutoring them and basically providing everything for them on the already lean public purse. I ask, how on earth does he plan and hope to do this? He has given NDC another political punch line and giving himself out so cheaply as being ill-prepared to effectively and efficiently manage the economy. How can anyone be against providing free education for our children? Even the constitution stipulates unequivocally the need for government to vigorously pursue accessible and free education for all.

Now, the man of the hour H.E. John Dramani Mahama is Nana's biggest nightmare. NPP will not admit it but it is true. John appeals to a great deal of people in this country and has also been described as Ahobrasihene (King of humility). John is a prodigy of Ghana's beloved father-for-all, Asomdwehene, late professor John Evans Atta Mills and under his tutelage has tapped into Mills' wisdom and knowledge.

So the contrast is yet again drawn between a humble public servant, John Mahama and the pompous elite lawyer Nana Akuffo-Addo who speaks with a borrowed British accent and always wears expensive suite and gallivanting around with his shoulders high as mountain Afadjato. Again his minions are not doing him much good when they go about throwing propagandist and ethnocentric statements all over the place.

All said and done, Nana Akuffo-Addo will undoubtedly go into our history books as one great politician who mounted a strong opposition and almost became a president but for these things I have stipulated above. May God bless Ghana and bless us all.