FONAA ROOTS FOR JAWULA

…Asks Nana Addo to stick to ‘yenim wo fri tete’
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Posted:Monday, July 14, 2008
With just a couple of weeks for the Presidential Candidate of ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to name his choice of Running Mate, his own people, the Executives of the Friends of Nana Akufo-Addo (FONAA) fun club have asked him to stick to his grounds and nominate Lepowura Alhaji MND Jawula as Running Mate.
Their reason is simple, “he has been with the party from the trenches since 1992 and his records and credentials in governance and administration surpasses that of his other colleagues.”
The Executives of the Salaga constituency branch of FONAA including the likes of its Coordinator, Siibu Abudu ‘Jebote’, Secretary, Braimah Soale Rashid, a founding member of the party in Salaga, Mahama Issah and former Constituency Secretary Draman Abdul Wahab made this known at a press briefing in Accra over the weekend.
They recalled how the Lepowura single handedly rented and furnished the Salaga constituency office of the party in addition to 10 bicycles and cash to enable them campaign in the area way back in the year 1992 at a time when his contenders for the position were no where to be found in the activities of the party.
According to them, these and other contributions of Jawula led to his being selected as the NPPs Parliamentary Candidate for the area, stressing that but for the party’s decision to boycott the 1992 Parliamentary elections, he would have been the Member of Parliament for Salaga since his posters and campaign were all over the place.
“So if anybody says he is not an NPP member then that person may not have been with the party from the onset but a latter day saint, he is indeed a true Dankwa-Busia traditionalist.”
“Apart from being a Dankwa-Busia traditionalist, we believe Nana Addo must stick to his believe in the ‘yenim wo fri tete’ slogan to select Lepowura as his choice of Running Mate”, they emphasised.
They further stressed the believe that Jawula has the tendency of bringing more floating votes to the NPP since his popularity and lineage cuts across the political divide in especially the three Northern regions where the ruling party have had a difficult time in convincing getting the votes of the electorates.
The FONAA members have thus cautioned the party against endorsing the candidature of any individual either than the Lepowura since according to them, it has the tendency of affecting the voting pattern and the fortunes of the NPP in the upcoming elections, saying “with Lepowura, we are more than convinced that Nana has less work to do because he is a man of the people.”
In spite of his silent but numerous contributions to the party, the Lepowura is banking his hopes on his 32years proven track record in both public and civil service as an accomplished Administrator to get the position of Running Mate.
His supporters in FONAA believe evidence of his commitment and contributions to national development were reasons behind President Kufuor’s decision to give Jawula a national award alongside several other distinguished Ghanaians.
They have therefore asked Nana Addo to make no mistake in choosing any other person apart from Lepowura MND Jawula as his Running Mate to make the 2008 elections a mere formality.