One week after acrimonious conference

NANA DISOBEYS CHAIR`s ORDER
… Campaigns with Ashanti execs contrary to ban
Posted:The Chronicle | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu


The 2008 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, has defied the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party’s orders that no executive member should campaign with any of the presidential aspirants in the region. Nana Addo at the weekend, travelled with some of the constituency chairmen of the party to campaign at Kumawu, contrary to the ban imposed on them by the Regional Chairman.
During the campaign, he told the people to vote for specific candidates at the national conference of the party to elect new national officers, because they believe in his vision. Moments after being elected as the Regional Chairman of the party, Mr. F. F. Anto promised to personally stay clear of campaigning for or against any of the individuals eyeing the position of the party’s flagbearer, and asked his constituency chairmen and other executives to follow suit.
But, just about a week after he made this promise, some of his own men, Kwasi Owusu Kodua, the Nsuta-Kwamang Constituency Chairman, Bantama Constituency Chairman, Mr. Henry Kokofu and his counterpart from Bekwai and one Atta, went on a campaign trail with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Kumawu in the Ashanti Region over the weekend.

Before they embarked on the campaign, they were said to have met at the private residence of Dr. Akoto Afriyie, Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, where they held a series of meetings. Mr. Owusu Kodua has personally admitted to The Chronicle of being part of Nana Addo’s delegation to Kumawu and Nsuta-Kwamang, where they went to meet the former constituency chairman, one Nana Adusei.
He however denied that Nana Addo asked the executives to vote for certain individuals as his choice of candidates for national positions, and against others because they were against the expansion of the electoral college of the party. Instead, he indicated that in order not to create enmity or show any sign of disregard for the executives there, Nana Addo and his team took the opportunity to meet and exchange pleasantries with the constituency executives.
But, Mr. F. F. Anto has denied knowledge of any such move, requesting that anybody who has evidence of any of his chairmen accompanying either Nana Addo or any other aspirant on a campaign trail, to make it available for him to take action.
According to him, he personally had to pull the Mampong Constituency Chairman, asking him to sit down when he attempted to go and stand behind Nana Addo at the get-together. He therefore promised to deal with anybody who flouts his instructions. Nana Addo was said to have participated in a get-together organised for both the old and new constituency executives of the area, to broker peace among the rival factions. Even that information, has it that representatives and supporters of both Alan Kyerematen and Isaac Osei, who are both eyeing the flagbearship position, were there to make donations for and behalf of the would-be aspirants.
Each of them was said to have been given an equal opportunity to make a statement, with Nana Addo promising to come back at the appropriate time. The Nsuta-Kwamang Constituency Chairman narrated that they then proceeded to Ejura Sekyedumasi, where they made a donation towards the construction of a constituency office.
According to him, Alan’s men also made a similar donation. Meanwhile, the Press Aide to Nana Addo, Herbert Krapa, has confirmed to The Chronicle that Nana Addo asked the executives to vote for people including Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, who is contesting for the chairmanship position of the party, Rita Asobayire, for first Vice Chairperson, Muctar Bamba, for national organiser and Lawyer Owusu Afriyie who is contesting for General Secretary, since according to him, they can do the job better.
He also confirmed the fact that the Nsuta-Kwamang Constituency Chairman was part of Nana’s team. A similar meeting between Nana Addo and 15 out of the 39 constituency chairmen in the Ashanti regional branch of the party recently, raised tensions and deep-seated emotions in the region.
The meeting, which was held at the Ahodwo residence of one of Nana Addo’s chief campaign strategists, Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor, angered the remaining 24 constituency chairmen, who were not invited to the programme, since they were perceived to be supporters of Alan Kyerematen.