NPP will never return to power if... - Ayikoi Otoo

Ex-Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nii Ayikoi Otoo says the New Patriotic Party risks a long stay in opposition if it does not take steps to address the Asante vrs Ashanti rift that sits right in the middle of the party.

That divide, he said, cost the party's 2008 presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the 2008 presidential race because the Ashantis in the party did not support his bid.

Ayikoi Otoo, who is also the NPP's legal committee chairman, has declared his interest to contest the chairmanship of the party, was addressing members of the University of Cape Coast chapter of the party's Tertiary Students Confederacy and said resolving that divide is one of his motivations for seeking to be elected chairman.

He claimed that after Nana Addo narrowly missed an outright one-touch victory with a 49.9 percent of votes in the first round of the race, evidence available to him shows that Ashantis did not support him in the run-off, which led to then candidate John Mills of the National Democratic Congress winning the poll.

The same divide, Ayikoi Otoo said, also cost Professor Mike Ocquaye his dreams of chairing the NPP, for while it became obvious he was winning the chairmanship race in the party, it took just a voice to scuttle that dream.

'This divide in the middle of our party continues up till today and before you contest an election for national office you must have to align yourself with one of the groups. So Professor Mike Ocquaye was on his way winning the chairmanship and then somebody said put the break on it, we are going to put Harona Esseku there and that was it, finished, and Professor Mike Ocquaye's dreams were dashed. Now if we don't do something about it… we will never come back to power…'. Listen to Ayikoi Otoo.

By Isaac Yeboah/Graphic.com.gh/Ghana