Round 2 of NPP Flagbearer Race: Akufo-Addo Beats Alan..

After suffering a first round defeat at the New Patriotic Party�s recent conference where all his sponsored candidates lost to his fiercest rival Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten�s preferred aspirants, twice defeated presidential candidate Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo has bounced back with a �profound� verdict over the former. Securing full maximum points to cancel the deficits he suffered as a result of the outcome of the April 12, Tamale conference, the Akyem Septuagenarian in a tussle with Alan Kyerematen has snatched serial national chairman aspirant Stephen Ntim from the former Trade Minister in the Kufuor administration to become his campaign manager. Information gathered by TheaL-hAJJ from close sources at the Nima residence of the Former Foreign Affairs Minister in the NPP government revealed that, it took the might of Nana Akufo-Addo�s kinsmen from the AkyemAbuakwa Kingdom to claim Stephen Ntim from his longtime pal Alan Kyeremanten who is also said to have approached him for the same post. It could not be clearly established why Stephen Ntim chose Nana Akufo-Addo ahead of Alan Kyeremanten, but party insiders neck deep in the process leading to the former Abuakwa South legislator�s win over his main �rival� say, the Akyem-Abuakwa delegation that led the battle to win the trice failed national chairman aspirant was so powerful that the opposing team (Alan� camp) could not stand their prowess. However, an aide to Stephen Ntim when contacted by this paper would neither confirm nor deny the story, but said �at the appropriate time MrNtim�s role in the NPP ahead of the 2016 election will be made known.� Reports are that after the crushing of his apostles whom he had lined-up to secure sensitive positions in the NPP�s national executive structure so he could continue to maintain his hold on the party, Nana Akufo-Addo has been inducing defeated aspirants with promises of �appointments� in his campaign team and �future government� for the purpose of drawing them into his fold to form a formidable army to battle Alan Kyeremanten. Alan Keyeremanten�s sudden surge in popularity after his preferred candidates gave Nana Akufo-Addo�s men heavy thrashing at the recent Tamale conference of the party is reported given the twice defeated presidential candidate sleepless nights; hence the desperate moves to outdo him. Party sources told TheaL-hAJJ that the new national executives have resolved to take full charge of the party�s next presidential campaign. Unlike previously, the flag bearer they say will not be allowed to handpick persons to make up the campaign team for a presidential candidate. Reports are that a postmortem of the 2008 and 2012 defeat of the NPP showed that the party lost the two elections partly due to AkufoAddo�s hand-picked �family and friends� campaign teams and as such, almost all the national chairman aspirants; having taken a cue from Jake who first broached the idea, promised to whisk the composition of the campaign team from the flag bearer. Reinforcing that particular point on Joy FM�s �Newsfile� last Saturday a senior member of the NPP and chairman of the party�s Constitutional and Legal Committee,NiiAyikoiOtoo criticized the party and successiveflagbearers for sidelining and sidestepping constitutionally mandated structures and imposing their own favored�family and friends� in absolute violation of the party's constitution. But sources close to Nana Akufo-Addo revealed he has device a strategy to get all the losers and �movers and shakers� in the party on board to form a shield around him to fight any likely threat that may come from the new executives in the event they decide to work against him.