According to former General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), all the presidential hopefuls apart from Nana Akufo-Addo will be deluding themselves if they believe delegates will vote for them to lead the party in 2016.
Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie has therefore urged some ‘over confident ‘aspiring flagbearers of the party to use their money to support the NPP’s quest to win the 2016 general elections.
Sir John as he is popularly called made the observation on a Kumasi based radio station while commenting on what he described as a gargantuan campaign launch of the party’s 2012 presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo at James Town in Accra.
Six other candidates are vying to be flagbearer of the NPP because they believe they can win power for the party which has spent eight years in opposition.
They included two-time flagbearer aspirant, Alan Kyerematen, Kofi Konadu Apraku, Joe Ghartey, Kofi Osei Ameyaw, Addai Nimoh and Stephen Asamoah Boateng.
Though Akufo-Addo is seen as the number one contender, the other contestants have vowed to give him a run for his money ahead of the party’s presidential primaries in October 18th, 2014.
Stephen Asamoah Boateng for instance is casting himself as a biblical ‘David’ ready to slay a “formidable” “goliath”.
But Sir John is of the view that all those contesting Akufo-Addo are just wasting their precious time and money which believes could have been invested in the party.
He explained that in the NPP now, “Akufo-Addo is the most sought after, marketed and preferred candidate so any attempt by some individuals to contest him will be an exercise in futility”.
The former General Secretary known to be an Akufo-Addo fanatic predicted a landslide victory for his candidate at the flagbearership elections.
Sir John was convinced with Akufo-Addo as flagbearer, 2016 election will be a ‘cool chop’ for the NPP.
