Twice defeated presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is finding no antidotes to the stiff battle from his fierce competitor for the flag bearer position as he is now instigating supporters to go after Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten.
Reeling under the former Trade, Industry and PSI Minister’s robust campaign to snatch the leadership of the NPP from him, Nana Akufo-Addo, as if been dumped in a lake of fire; in uncharacteristic fashion was forced to openly react to Alan’s recent comment believed to have hit him where it matters most.
Perhaps, to suggest his trusted lieutenants, Eugene Arhin and Mustapha Hamid, (who under normal circumstance would go after his opponents in their capacity as press secretary and spokesperson respectively) are not checkmating Alan in the desired ‘all die-be-die’ manner, the Akyem Septuagenarian in a desperate statement subtly instructed his supporters to go after Alan Kyeremanteng.
The former Abuakwa South Member of Parliament, who has announced his intention to contest the NPP’s flag bearer position for the fourth time, could not hide the damage Alan’s campaign is doing to his ambition with his recent comments that he (Nana Addo) is a serial loser who does not appeal to floating voters hence, must be dumped; when he jumped from his rat hole to personally respond.
But even before Akufo-Addo’s provocative-laced riposte to Alan, his self-declared right hand man Dr Amoako Tuffuor, in a snide told Alan in face that the party is not ready to experiment with him as candidate for the 2016 general elections.
Dr Tuffuor, who was booted out of office as national coordinator of the school feeding program by former president Kufuor for alleged financial misappropriation, described Alan Kyerematen’s assertions as laughable and “illogical”.
In direct retort to Alan, Dr Amoako Tuffuor told an Accra based radio station that “Those touting themselves as best candidates for NPP have already disqualified themselves because Akufo-Addo remains the man to beat. Everyone is saying no Nana no vote and that is the reality.” Again, taking inspiration from Nana Akufo-Addo’s ‘directive,’ an elder and founding member of the NPP in the Ashanti region, Mr Ayisi Boateng on Tuesday stormed the studios of Kumasi-based, Fox Fm to beat the hell out of Madam Josephine Hilda Addo, a former MP and a known devotee of Alan.
Madam Hilda Addo’s offense to merit the hefty beatings from the Akufo Addo aficionado, Ayisi Boateng, was that she made comments on the radio station deemed disparaging, and sought to cast dark clouds over Nana Akufo-Addo’s fourth time flag bearer bid.
Nana Addo’s Response In a his direct response to Alan contained in a statement released barely 24 hours after Alan’s message ostensibly to calm nerves, but actually meant to lighten flames among his supporters to direct their guns at the former Trade, Industry and PSI Minister; Nana Akufo-Addo stated: “This is but a contest between members of one family, the Great Elephant family. We must, therefore, be guided and guarded constantly by an uncompromising sense of unity, fellowship and greater purpose”.
Nana Akufo-Addo stated that he is a firm believer of the principles of competition and choice which the NPP represents and trusts that delegates of the party will, “choose the candidate who they believe will best serve the interests of the party going forward”
Strange Fact Strangely, while Akufo-Addo and his fanatics have on countless occasions employ the media to make all manner of disparaging remarks about opponents like Alan Kyerematen and Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and getting away with it, they (Akufo-Addo and his men) have made it an article of faith to ‘appropriately’ respond to any thing said by the duo, Alan and Dr Konadu even when they cough.
Though the party is yet to open nominations for the flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan, Dr Apraku, Joe Ghartey, Frimpong Boateng and Addai Nimoh have openly declared their readiness to contest the position and have since been engaged in vigorous campaign.
The contest has since been slipping into verbal warfare between Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan and in some instance Nana Akufo-Addo versus Dr Apraku.
Alan’s Message Indeed, what rattled Akufo Addo’s camp was an Alan Kyeremanteng remark to NPP New York Chapter “I think that we have our own senior brother, Nana Akufo Addo. He’s represented the party very well on two previous occasions. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it’s not been possible for us to get into power. I think that we must explore other opportunities and that is why I will be putting myself up as a candidate when the nominations open and I am here to seek your support”.
“The challenge that we have is not convincing our core voters in the party,” he explained. “… Almost invariably you can imagine that if everything goes well you can expect that our core voters will vote for us. The difference lays in how we convince the swing voters … “Let us try to understand the psychology of these swing voters…” he explained. “They are swing voters because there are not aligned necessarily to any party.
When you want to deal with a floating voter you’ve got to understand his psychology and almost invariably it is a question of this is the man I want… The advantage that I have is that I have an appeal, somehow, to these floating voters.” “We have a margin of between 300[000] and 500,000 people who always decide the final vote and so I ask for your support because if indeed we can all work together to put me as the next flag bearer, I can assure you that 2016 we’ll be back in power,” Mr. Kyeremanteng stated.
Supporters of Nana Akufo-Addo on social media have since turned Alan into munching stick and are heavily and harshly tongue lashing him with others writing articles to shred the calm twice defeated flag bearer aspirant into pieces.