Anane challenges Akufo-Addo

New Patriotic Party defeated parliamentary candidate in the Nyhiaeso constituency in Ashanti region, Dr Richard Anane has charged Nana Akufo-Addo to show his capacity to unite factions in the party in order to win the 2016 general elections as ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor demonstrated in the run-up to the 2000 elections.

While openly admitting to factions (Ashanti/Akyem) in the biggest opposition party, the former Roads and Transport Minister in the Kufuor administration challenged the NPP’s 2016 flag bearer to win the next presidential election and govern successfully to equal the record set by president Kufuor, an Ashanti.

Speaking on Radio Gold’s morning show hosted by Alhassan Suhuyini yesterday, Dr Anane, who is key pillar of the Ashanti bloc in the NPP and foremost backer of Alan Kyeremanten, said there is factionalism in every organization, but added that, the challenge in the NPP is the hostilities, and how the issues are being managed.

Using former President Kufuor to buttress his point, Dr Richard Anane, who was affected by Nana Akufo-Addo’s plot to ditch pro-Kufuor/Alan elements in the party, said in spite of factions that existed in the party in 2000, the former President was able to unite the party to win political power and his government was a success.

According to him, his lost at the primaries and that of other party stalwarts should not create problems for the NPP ahead of next year elections, however, he was quick to add, "it all depends on the flag bearer and his handlers.., it is time for the presidential candidate to do what ex-President Kufuor did by uniting the party to bring the party to government after the 2016 general elections".

Dr. Anane was defeated in the Saturday, June 13 parliamentary candidate contest in the Nhyiaeso constituency by immediate past Ashanti regional organizer of the NPP and a Nana Akufo-Addo enthusiast, Kennedy Kankam. It was the former Health and former Roads Minister’s fifth term attempt in parliament.

Dr. Anane had 110 votes as against 247 by Kennedy Kankam. Other contestants, Kwaku Appiah Minka and Stephen Amoah had 80 and 164 votes respectively.

Cracks in the NPP have deepened since Nana Akufo-Addo and the Akyem bloc took over the affairs of party in 2008, when President John Agyekum Kufuor's two-term mandate came to an end.

Nana Akufo-Addo has since failed to bring the New Patriotic Party back to power after two elections in 2008 and 2012.

Although the former Foreign Affairs Minister and his allies have consistently blamed several people including former President Kufuor, former chief of staff, Kwadwo Mpiani, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Dr Afari Gyan, Alan Kyeremanten and others for Akufo Addo's defeats, a founding member of the NPP, Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe disagreed. He recently proffered reasons which in his opinion contributed to the party’s twice defeat at the polls.

According to the tough-talking former Ghana ambassador to Serbia-Montenegro and ex-GFA boss, unlike former President Kufuor, the NPP’s 2016 flag bearer does not know how to win political power, revealing that developments in the party under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo show clearly that the NPP cannot win elections under him.

“Look, let me give you one example, there is a sharp difference between the way Kufuor campaigned and…you know, I will always stand up for Kufuor, Kufuor knows how to get political power, he knows exactly how to manage people. If you ask Kufuor to lie down so that you walk over him, he will do it because he understands what politics is and he knows how to get political power,” Dr. Nyaho boldly stated.

Though Dr Richard Anane, who lost his bid to return to parliamentary in 2007 has pledge his unalloyed loyalty to the cause of the NPP ahead of next year poll, he said in order for Nana Akufo-Addo to win the 2016 elections and equal former President Kufuor’s record, he must first unite the party and be prepared to work with each and every member of the party devoid of which faction he or she belongs.