Over 140,000 delegates; three candidates; one NPP- who bears the flag?

Over 140, 000 delegates of the opposition New Patriotic Party will by the end of the day today elect a new party leader, a flagbearer and for them, hopefully, a president after the 2016 election.

Three candidates, Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan Kojo Kyeremanten and Addai Nimo are the last men standing, each with a promise to take the NPP out of political wilderness and usher it back into government.

The three are all united in the belief that the NPP is the best party to deliver the country from what they say is the economic turbulence the country is enduring but are sharply divided on who best represents the aspirations, hope and interests of, not just supporters of the party but the larger political mass.

Out of the three, the first two are no strangers at all to the internal party contest of popularity. And there is no love lost between them. 

The last one, Addai Nimoh is the biggest surprise of the pack, who from a seeming political obscurity, shockingly proved more popular and appealing to the party members than former Trade Minister Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and former Information Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng.

Having scaled the first hurdle in the super delegates congress which whittled the number of flagbearer aspirants down from seven to five [two candidates have voluntarily withdrawn from the race since then] Addai Nimoh has pushed his luck a notch higher, hoping, praying for another miracle that will once again turn the long overwhelming odds in his favour.

The youngest of the three, but looks several years older than his age, the 49-year-old, Addai Nimoh is a civil engineer by profession and the Member of Parliament for Mampong Constituency in the Ashanti Region.

He thinks of himself as the unifier and calls himself the 'fulani', endowed with the skill to separate  the two cattle (Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanten) engaged in a desperate fight of supremacy within the party.

He promises a selfless and competent leadership and wants to galvanise the party to a famous victory in 2016.

Alan Kojo Kyeremanten is ten years older than Nimoh. He is a business man, a founding member of the party and was a diplomat and a cabinet minister under ex-president John Kufuor. On two occasions [in 2007 and 2010], he lost out on the party's flagbearership slot to Nana Akufo-Addo. And while his political fortunes within the party appears to be suffering a diminishing returns, his contest with Akufo-Addo has always been keen and feisty; fought in factions, controversy, suspicion and accusation. This year's race is no exception.

Alan's camp is being accused of plotting and using the courts to have the elections postponed. The leadership of the party appears divided with the chairman, Paul Afoko and secretary, Kwabena Agyepong, perceived to be in bed with Alan. Barely 48 hours to the elections, the immediate past General Secretary of the party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who is acting as though he is now the spokesperson of Nana Akufo-Addo accused the party leadership of failing to provide the necessary funding to ensure a successful election all in a desperate effort to stifle a famous victory by Nana Akufo-Addo. In the mist of these accusations, the Alan camp, with Nana Ohene Ntow as the spokesperson, has been resolute in their campaign, promising victory and also, at some point, accusing the Nana's camp of violating the internal party election procedures.

Alan Kyeremanten considers himself the right man to get the NPP to the flagstaff house. He says the party must look beyond electing just a flagbearer who appeals only to supporters of the party and stick to a man who strikes a better cord with the floating voters. The party needs a president and not a flagbearer, he insists.

Alan has promised to strengthen the base of the party and channel the resources where they are needed most.

Hopefully as the leader of the NPP, the former Trade Minister says he will provide a convenient means of transport, preferably motorbikes to all constituency executives to facilitate the party's campaign for victory in 2016. Those motorbikes will be registered in their names and become their properties.

For Kyeremanten, win in 2016 is a must and he is the man to bring that win. He must however beat his greatest contender, the favorite- Nana Akufo-Addo.

On two occasions Nana Akufo-Addo won the party's slot but lost the national elections in 2008 and 2012. He returns to the party's delegates with a fervent plea to retain him as the flagbearer.

Touting himself as the "leader to deliver" Nana Akufo-Addo remains the most popular candidate of the three and won an overwhelming 81 per cent of votes cast in the super delegates congress late August. For him and his followers, today's election is not about who would win but by what margin to win. "Muntu mami bum" to wit vote for me massively, he tells the delegates. That, perhaps, has informed his message to the delegates. While his competitors are busy with promises to fix the party, he is busy with promises to fix the nation acting as though he has been elected as flagbearer already.

A fine lawyer, a consummate politician Nana Akufo-Addo is the eldest of the three and this may well be his last attempt at being Ghana's president.

At 70, Nana Addo will be 72 if elected in 2016 as president and critics have been quick to play the age card.  But the former Attorney General and Foreign Minister says he is strong in body and in spirit and if a 72 year old Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast is doing relatively better than a 55 year old John Mahama of Ghana, then he is poised to do even better if elected.

He promises a better Ghana, not the slogan; an educated Ghanaian and hopefully an improved economy if elected as president. But he first has to be the NPP flagbearer. Can he?

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