Who Wears The Crown.Nana Vrs Mills

Nana Akufo Addo Twenty-four hours from now, Ghanaians will be trooping to some 20,000 polling stations across the country to elect their next president, who will take over the mantle of leadership from President John Agyekum Kufuor on 7th January 2009.

Even though Ghanaians have had the opportunity to vote in four general elections under the Fourth Republican Constitution, many see tomorrow's exercise as very crucial and obviously the most vigorous, as the stakes appear to be very high.

While the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is more aggressive than ever before to regain the power it lost in 2000, the Convention People's Party (CPP) considers itself the third force; and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to hold on to power.

The race for the hot seat seems to be a straight fight between Nana Akufo-Addo and Professor Mills, even though other persons are contesting the presidential election.

Interestingly, both parties have tasted power before and Ghanaians will therefore be better positioned to make an informed choice. The moment of truth is just 24 hours away.

The first on the ballot is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the ruling NPP.

Born on 29th March, 1944, he is a lawyer, politician and diplomat.

Under President John Kufuor, Nana Akufo-Addo was the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice from 2001 to 2003, and later Minister for Foreign Affairs from April 2003 to July 2007.

On December 23, 2007, Nana Addo was elected the NPP's 2008 presidential candidate at a party congress, but long before that historic congress in which he floored 16 other aspirants, some newspaper publications had described him as a future president.

Many of his large followers and admirers say his position on the ballot paper carries a divine message that he would win the contest.

He has carried out the most sophisticated campaign in the country's political history by employing the latest marketing techniques, but his most effective campaign messages, particularly to the majority of the rural poor, are free secondary education for all, a public university for regions without one, and the establishment of a Northern Development Fund to help bridge the gap between the northern and southern sectors of the country.

Considered the most popular personality today whose ratings is said to have dwarfed those of both the former and sitting presidents, the name 'Nana' is mentioned at least twice in almost every conversation, be it on the street, market square, or drinking bar.

It is therefore no wonder that several research polls have put him far ahead of the other contestants. A number of those polls, which place him above 50 percent, strongly suggest he could win the election in the first round.

Dr. Edward Nasigri Mahama is second on the ballot as flagbearer of the People's National Convention (PNC). This is the fourth time the PNC has elected the renowned gynecologist as its flagbearer.

Though a known Nkrumaist, Dr. Mahama's inability to forge a unity pact with other likeminded politicians is always seen as a minus for him. There is a perception that his party is northern dominated, and that probably compelled him to go for a southern woman as his running mate.

Political observers say his party has collapsed because of the Bawumia factor of the NPP, which did not only take away a chunk of the Muslim faithful, but also caused a considerable defection of his top brass.

He comes from the same locality as Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

The party's leadership is also claiming that its second position on the ballot lays emphasis on its slogan, “Two Sure, Two Direct”.

Professor John Evans Atta Mills, the twice-defeated presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is also 64 years old but three months younger than the NPP flagbearer.

Mills was born on 21st July 1964, and hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Mfantsiman East Constituency of the Central region.

The law lecturer and former vice president, who led his party to its first electoral defeat in December 2000, is struggling in his third attempt to correct things.

Unlike the NPP candidate, Professor Mills has not made specific electoral promises on a national scale apart from stressing that he would improve the lot of Ghanaians. He had however made promises to sections of the people, depending on what he thinks would be their peculiar expectations.

Being the third on the ballot paper, the NDC is indisputably the only serious threat to the ruling party. There are mixed reactions as to what the third position stands for.

While the party says it connotes the Trinity of the Godhead (John Rawlings, John Atta Mills and John Mahama), some of their opponents say it is a clear message of the party's third electoral defeat and also the final demise of the NDC.

The Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), led by Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi, comes fourth. Formed officially on 28th October, 2006, the DFP is a break-away faction of the NDC, but many of its leaders have since returned to their mother party.

Frankly, its impact on tomorrow's election is glaringly as insignificant as that of Thomas Nuako Ward-Brew of the Democratic People's Party (DPP), who is fifth on the slot.

Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People's Party (CPP) is sixth. When the whistle blasted for active politics a few months ago, he initially brought a lot of excitement unto the political arena and was viewed as a third option for Ghanaians, aside the NPP and NDC.

 Sadly however, 'the moustache man' seems to be fading out of the picture as a result of problems he appears to be having with the party's leadership. From the start, it appeared he was one person who could force the race into a second round, but he had allowed the NDC to snatch both his political slogan and gesture, leaving many voters to remark that there is not much to choose between his party and the NDC.

A 45-year-old timber merchant and former member of the NPP, Kwabena Adjei also known as Bambatta, comes seventh as flagbearer of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RDP), but he too has no political pedigree just as Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah, the only independent candidate in the race. Amoafo-Yeboah is battling marital problems ahead of tomorrow's polls with allegations that he had abandoned his family in the United States.

He has however denied it, saying that he has been in constant touch with them.

Political  observers were awestruck when the America-trained engineer appeared on Metro TV yesterday with a turban tied around his head, disclosing that he is a Muslim. Perhaps Mr Amoafo-Yeboah, who said he converted to Islam 10 years ago, wanted to use this last-minute opportunity to appeal to his fellow Muslims to vote for him.

Poll researches have been conducted and political analysts have spoken: But as to who or which poll result would be vindicated, only time will tell.   By Bennett Akuaku