Last Saturday, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had the pleasure of meeting the newly elected Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako also Known as Chairman Wontumi and his closest challenger in the regional election, Osei Kwame Prempeh, at his residence in London.
The two were in London at the invitation of the NPP’s 2012 flagbearer after their intense regional election some weeks ago. According to reports, Chairman Wontumi and Osei Prempeh met Nana Addo to discuss the future of the party and how the two could work together for victory in 2016.
It is believed the meeting was an attempt to heal wounds and resolve any acrimony that may have developed as a result of a bitter contest held last month to elect party executives in the Ashanti region – the NPP’s stronghold.
Prior to the fiercely contested election, the former Deputy Attorney-General accused the eventual winner of vote-buying after he donated a three-storey building for the regional administration of the party. Though Chairman Wontumi has visited Mr Osei Prempeh in his house to solicit support in the overall interest of the NPP, some still believed the run-up to the contest resulted in cracks opening up within the Ashanti Regional NPP, thus the meeting with Nana Addo is seen as timely.
But some individuals within the NPP have accused the two of pledging their support for the third coming of twice defeated Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s candidature as NPP’s flagbearer for the 2016 presidential polls.
However, Osei Prempeh has dismissed the suggestion.
He stated categorically on AdomFM that, in as much as the electorates want Nana to lead the party; their visit was not to promise or pledge their formal support for Nana Addo to lead the party.
“It is clear that everyone wants Akufo-Addo now…what people normally say is that, no Akufo-Addo, no vote for the NPP. But our visit to London was not to pledge our support for him (Nana Addo)…that wasn’t the agenda,” he said
He further said “If NPP wants power and we all agree to elect Nana Addo to lead us…there is nothing wrong about that. That will rather unite the party.”