Akuffo Addo to win Sympathy votes in 2016?

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the validity of John Mahama's slender victory in the December, 2012 Elections, a number of politicians from both major parties, the NPP and the NDC, have already started thinking about the next election and how they can win it--a trait typical of politicians who are always more concerned with their lot in politics rather than the welfare of the people they have to govern while in power. Sad, but true.

John Adbulai Jonapor, former spokesperson to President John Mahama and now deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum was, probably, the first from the NDC camp to exemplify this tendency--posting a picture of himself and the President on Facebook, immediately after the verdict, with the caption: 'JM declared legitimate President. Battle for 2016 begins today.'

Of course, he wasn't the only culprit. Other NDC party bigwigs have also weighed in with their views on the next election, albeit subtlety. According to them 'Akuffo Addo is finished' and will not be able to win Election 2016 if his party retains him as flag-bearer.

While such comments from NDC stalwarts may seem mere opinions, they aren't. No true media watcher and political analyst, whether affiliated to the NPP or not, can be deceived by such obvious propagandist and ill-meaning verbals.

The NDC knows, without an iota of doubt, that Akuffo Addo is more likely to lead the NPP to Election 2016 victory compared to any other candidate chosen to compete with President Mahama. They know that at the third attempt Akuffo Addo might pull a Mills--he might replicate the late President John Evans Atta Mills feat of being third time lucky.

Why? Simple--the margin of victory in both elections, 2008 and 2012, were close and that is an irrefutable evidence of the enduring political popularity of Nana Akuffo Addo, despite his faults and foibles. Add to that the fact that there is such a thing as 'sympathy voters in Ghana--a hypothesis, which will be argued out in another piece' and you can see right through the NDC's politcal machinations. They are afraid of an Akuffo Addo Flagbearship for the NPP in Election 2016 and are secretly delighted that some individuals in his own party will prefer another person leading them into the next elections.

But not everybody in the NPP is blind to the increased likelihood of Akuffo Addo winning at the third attempt. In any election, NPP diehards will vote for NPP, and this is true for other parties.

NPP diehards (those who voted for Akuffo Addo) in December, 2012 will still vote for him in Election 2016 if he is retained, and more floating voters--those who can vote either way will now be tempted to vote Akuffo Addo, taking into consideration his posturing after the Supreme Court verdict. He was quick to congratulate President Mahama and called for national unity, which goes a way to alleviating his supposedly 'violent nature' and 'arrogant trait.'

All of a sudden, Akuffo Addo's political brand is on the mend, and considering how close Election 2012 was, he is more likely to win at the third attempt (if he is retained, of course).

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NB: Stanley Courage Duoghah is a self-educated writer and poet based in Ghana. Besides writing online (wherein he has won multiple writing contests), he's also working on a number of novels, novellas, short stories, and a poetry collection. His debut work titled "A Love Tale, a Political Satire, and a Thriller" will be internationally lauched in October, 2013. You can connect with him on facebook or email [email protected].