A Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac Manu says he is not surprised Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo emerged victor ahead of the rest of his colleague aspirants on Sunday’s Super Delegates Conference.
Official figures indicate that out of 740 ballots cast, Nana Akufo-Addo polled 598 votes, representing 80.78%, with his closest contender Alan Kyerematen obtaining a paltry tally of 59 votes representing 7.98 per cent.
Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Ghartey and Addai Nimoh both obtained 22 votes each which is 2.98% of total votes cast, while Osei Ameyaw managed 16 votes (2.17%) to pick up the last ticket to the October 18 national delegates’ conference.
Former Information Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng (13 votes) and former Trade Minister Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku (10 votes) have dropped out of the race with 1.76% and 1.35% respectively.
Speaking to Joy FM in an interview, Mac Manu said: “I am not surprised because he is very popular and he has really made his grassroots campaign. People accepted his message and that is why people voted for him. It is an emphatic endorsement of his candidature pending October 18.”
According to him, the rest of the candidates who got less than 10 per cent of the total votes ‘should examine themselves’ and choose between going ahead with their plans of contesting or voluntarily step aside and back Nana Addo to go unopposed to win the elections in 2016.
The delegate congress was to reduce the number of aspirants seeking to lead the party in the 2016 presidential elections from seven to five.
The aspirants were Nana Akufo Addo, the two-time presidential candidate of the NPP, Alan Kyeremanten, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, the three were Ministers in the Kufour government. The rest are Kofi Osei Ameyaw-a Deputy Minister in the Kufuor government and MP for Asuogyaman and Mr Isaac Osei, MP for Subin.
The exercise was generally smooth in all the regions with minor challenges over proxy voting.
Out of 786 delegates who were supposed to have voted, 736 actually voted. Out of this,