Supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party relishing a “Dr Bawumia” presidency in 2017 after reports suggesting Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has ceded the 2016 flag bearer slot to his serial running mate would have to hold their horses, as latest information reaching The aL-hAJJ indicates that the twice defeated presidential candidate is far from giving up on his presidential ambition.
Apparently, Nana Akufo-Addo, according to party insiders, reluctantly yielded to party kingpins’ demand to make way for his running mate to lead the party into the 2016 elections simply because he did not want to prolong the discussions.
At the said meeting, Nana Akufo-Addo was reported to have bowed to pressure from NPP linchpins to allow Dr Bawumia to battle the ruling National Democratic Congress’ John Dramani Mahama in the 2016 presidential polls.
However, latest reports are that, soon after that meeting, Nana Akufo-Addo and his devotees who, also earlier endorsed Dr Bawumia’s candidature after previously rejecting him for the topmost post, convened another meeting to assess the painful decision they had taken.
Sources at the Nima residence of the NPP flag bearer told The al-hAJJ that, the meeting, though acknowledged that Nana Akufo-Addo had already consented to allow his running mate to step into his shoes, they should find a way to draw the attention of proponents of the idea how Dr. Bawumia’s candidature could rather block the party’s chances of winning the 2016 elections.
Nana Akufo-Addo and his adherents, the source say, argued that the former Abuakwa South MP has made incursions into NDC strongholds and there are indications that he could be third time lucky like his contemporary, the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
Therefore, the meeting was said to have concluded with a resolution that since those calling for Nana Akufo-Addo’s replacement are also comparing Dr Bawumia’s attributes to President John Mahama, all efforts should be made to discredit the latter, seen by many as easygoing.
The plan, according to our reliable source, is that, by attacking the young, affable and humble President Mahama and running him down as lacking the requisite experience to govern due to his relatively young age, for which reason, his administration, which is made up of young appointees, is neck-deep in corruption; Bawumia will certainly not be an exception.
The first leg of this scheme was craftily executed by Nana Akufo-Addo in the Volta last week when he told an enthusiastic crowd in the presence of Dr. Bawumia, that he is too old to deep his hands into the public purse when elected President.
Addressing a gathering in the Volta region as part of his nationwide “Arise and Build” tour, Nana Akufo-Addo disregarded his pledge to cede the NPP flag bearer post to DrBawumiawhen he said “Where I am and how old I am at least, this is not the time I will start stealing anybody’s wealth.”
While many thought Nana Akufo-Addo’s message was directed at President Mahama who he has constantly accused of supervising corruption, party insiders say, it was indeed, targeted at Dr Bawumia and all those pushing him to snatch the flag bearer post he (Nana) had toiled to keep under his control in the last three NPP primaries.
“What he (Nana Addo) said was well packaged to create disaffection for Bawumia. The purpose is to get Ghanaians believe that old men like him (Nana Addo) would not steal their money when elected president…, and when they manage to get Ghanaians to buy into this, then they will turn round and tell the party elders that Ghanaians are looking for an elderly person as president, therefore Bawumia as flag bearer will not be ideal,” a party source privy to the plot told this paper.
Meanwhile, The aL-hAJJ has gathered that Nana Akufo-Addo’s comment has ruffled feathers among elders of the NPP who had earlier applauded him for putting the interest of the NPP ahead of his personal gains by accepting to handover the flag bearer mantle to relatively young Dr. Bawumia.
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