Outspoken politician, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah has stated emphatically that flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 elections, Nana Akufo-Addo is gradually becoming an obstacle to the party.
According to him, the post-election conducts of Nana Akufo-Addo smack of nothing but an attempt to crumble the party ahead of the 2016 general elections.
The opposition NPP has rejected the results of the 2012 general elections won by John Mahama, and has since petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate his election.
Subsequent to that, the party boycotted the inaugural ceremony of President Mahama on Monday.
However, former president Kufuor who is also an elder of the NPP attended the swearing in against the wish of some party supporters.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, speaking on Asempa FM’s current affairs programme Ekosii-Sen on Tuesday, remarked that though he is not against the NPP going to court over the elections, he believed the party should have moved on by now.
He reckoned that many people, including himself, are losing sympathy for the NPP due to their post-election conduct.
“I believe many like myself are losing sympathy for the NPP due to their conduct after the just ended polls. The issues of going to court and boycotting of state events will affect the party in the future. We heard of the stolen verdict in 1992 and even the NDC contesting the 2004 elections, we moved on so why can’t the party do same now. I voted for the party but not happy with the current situation in the party. Why will they want to be caught in the 2012 elections than preparing for 2016? I agree that if there are grievances the court should determine the way forward but the way it is being handled is not in the best interest of some of us,” he said.
The maverick politician asserted that though there could be some irregularities in the elections, he doubted assertions from the NPP that it was rigged.
“I doubt the election was rigged. Maybe some irregularities rather happened. The election cannot be rigged in favour of one person by the EC we’ve known since 1992. Afari Gyan supervised some two elections in Ghana and the NPP said they won fairly so I doubt their saying that EC rigged this particular one”.
He therefore admonished the NPP to abandon the Supreme Court petition and focus on rebuilding the party ahead of election 2016.
Dr. Sekou Nkrumah hinted, even if the Supreme Court is to invalidate the 2012 election results and calls for fresh elections as the NPP wished, he will not vote because of the party’s post-election conduct.
“If the court even says we should go for a run-off, I will not vote because I thought the NPP was a competent party and can protect the ballot not knowing they would come and tell Ghanaians stories”.
“I am not excited with NPP behavior at all. If that is how they will react to subsequent elections, then I am tempted to believe that they lost the 2012 polls in 2008. In Africa, it is not easy for an opposition party to win election so if the NPP despite the issues of massaging figures, they lost. That is why I want them to move on,” he bellowed.
Dr. Sekou Nkrumah admonished the NPP to rise above individual interests because the party is bigger than everyone.
“It shouldn’t be about Nana Akufo-Addo because the party is bigger than him. I think Akufo-Addo is becoming an obstacle to the party with his post-election conduct. I expected him to concede defeat and help move the party ahead of 2016 than going to court. He can’t be an obstacle to the progress of the party because if you are a flagbearer today, it doesn’t mean you will be tomorrow”.