OLD & NEW NPP ORDER CLASH

SPECIAL REPORT: RICHMOND KEELSON

Welcome to the two worlds of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). In the run up to the party’s presidential nominations August this year, an emerging reactionary force epitomized by some of the finest younger generation of the party is set to disturb and upset the ultra conservatives who are still rooted in maintaining the status quo.

The latter has had their way since 1992 and has chalked some degree of success with that posture though; but after faltering in the 2008 presidential election with all the goodies of an incumbency, many of the younger generation have called for another look at the NPP and its serial outlook.

From the conservative standpoint, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is still the de-facto leader; while for the new breed, Alan Kyerematen is the face representing the “new NPP”. At a media interaction last Wednesday, Nana Addo still had his trusted allies who he had been in the wood with still hanging around.

Yaw Osafo Maafo, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr Addo Kufuor, Dr Amoako Tuffour, Albert Kan-Dapaah, P.C. Appiah Ofori, Kwamena Bartels etc were all around to reiterate the popular conservative mantra “We already know him and he is well marketed”. If they had their own way, Nana would have given the nod without breaking a sweat.

Alan kicked-started his campaign with most of the younger generation led by the smooth operating Kwabena Adjei Agyapong; perhaps aware that the only way to break that docile cycle was to move faster and to the spot.

Others in the Alan team are Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Joe Osei-Owusu, Dr Richard Anane and others who might not necessarily be active party members though, but have over the years remained unalloyed sympathizers of the NPP.

In between the two, are other fringe pretenders – Professor Frimpong-Boateng and Isaac Osei, who are in the race for the sake of history and perhaps enhance their political CVs as once upon a time contenders for the NPP plume prize.

It is a straight contest between Alan Kyerematen and Nana Akufo-Addo. The NPP has since the 4th Republic, shown a character of rewarding members who had served in the NPP tradition; and also those who had been spot-on in fighting for the cause of the NPP which takes its root in the United Party (UP) tradition.

The first of the conservatives to lead the NPP in 1992 was Professor Albert Adu Boahene. He might have broken away from the Popular Front Party (PFP) with Mr William Ofori Atta (Paa Willie) to form the United National Convention (UNC) 1979; however the former history professor was considered worthy enough to lead the NPP because the ‘79 move was an aberration that founding members of the NPP thought they should all take the blame.

Another of Prof. Adu Boahene’s trump card was the fact that he dared the draconian Rawlings PNDC regime by tackling it in public. With that strength, Prof Adu Boahene’s forte as the breaker of Culture of Silence stoked further his presidential ambition through the NPP machinery in 1992.

But if age, was to many Ghanaian homes, a fountain of knowledge, it proved decisively as an anti-agent in Adu Boahene’s second attempt at NPP’s presidential slot. He was considered too old to lead the NPP in the 1996 elections. In came John Agyekum Kufuor, another of the finest gentlemen to have gone through the UP mill.

Kufuor also enjoyed the serial posture of the NPP. He was a junior minister in the Progress Party (PP), another of the off-shoot parties of the UP administration in 1969 and also an MP in the Second Republic administration of Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia.

The former president was again a Member of Parliament for the PFP during the Third Republic administration of the People’s National Party (PNP) and although he served briefly under the Rawlings Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), it was considered just a snag in his otherwise unchequered loyalty to the UP tradition.

Kufuor was again given the nod during the NPP’s presidential primary in 1998 for the 2000 elections. The decisive factor remained that he towered above all other candidates he vied against in the NPP in the serving pecking order.

The other decisive factor in the Kufuor re-election was age. At 60, Kufuor was still considered prime candidate who could run the rough and rugged Ghanaian pre-election campaigns. Indeed Kufuor delivered for the NPP the presidency and for eight years, his apparent successor, Nana Akufo-Addo had to wait on the sidelines, by which, age and time went against him.

But Nana had no choice and had to bid his time. As predicted, Nana picked the NPP nomination in the 2008 elections, not particularly because he was the best out of the unprecedented 17 candidates, but basically his track record in the NPP tradition worked in his favour.

As the young secretary of the Movement for Freedom and Justice (MFJ), Nana Akufo-Addo and others never relented in the fight against especially the Acheampong administration and other military regimes that Ghana has had.

Together with Dr Charles Yves Wereko-Brobby, Yaw Osafo Maafo, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Nana Akufo-Addo became the de-facto leader of the umbrella organization – Alliance For Change (AFC), that organized the nationwide “Kumepreko” demonstrations throughout the country.

It is also believed that Nana would easily be marketed than Alan or any of the candidates whose names have come up in the NPP race. Yet, like Adu Boahene, Nana’s biggest problem is the age factor.

Unlike Kufuor, who was offered a second chance in 2000, Nana seems to be sweating on the age factor in the equation. Nana Akufo-Addo would be close to 70 years during the 2012 elections with many party people contemplating whether he would still possess the steel-edge to criss-cross the country to embark on door-to-door campaigns that the NPP intends embarking on in the coming election.

Alan Kyerematen would be 58 by 2012 and indeed has the edge over Nana in the age game equation. But whether he has that un-blemish UP or NPP track record to match that of Nana is another area that both watchers and members of the NPP would be looking out for.

It is argued that Alan was a founding member of the NPP. All well and good! The NPP has over the years proven that selection of its presidential candidates goes beyond the establishment of an infant acquaintance to the level of fighting for its traditional values and cause.

Kufuor won the presidential slot of the NPP on two counts: First as a dye-in-the-wool UPian and also as someone with age on his side. Age in this instance favours Alan. But what have been Alan’s credentials in the ultra conservative party? That he served in two major areas under the Kufuor administration?

His role in the establishment of the many presidential initiatives although could have been a major boost in his campaign, the fact that they all collapsed even before the “death” of the NPP administration means Alan would have a lot of talking to do to convince the conservative lots in the NPP that he is the best person for the job.

The composition of the two campaign teams could also be that decisive. Without a doubt, Alan boasts of an array of highly intelligent young executives that could be an envy of any political organization. Good orators with a repertoire of swaying ideas.

History however has a way of determining who leads the NPP. It is not necessarily the man with the command on any particular language; but the person with the track that is so committed to the cause of the NPP. It sometimes cut across to the enduring days of the UP in the 60’s; through to the Progress Party government days of the late 60’s and the splinter PFP and the UNC days of 1979.

There is equally a huge question mark over the constituency base of the members of the Alan team. The fact that most of them, with the exception of the MPs in the team, either feared contesting for major party positions or failed to win positions they vied for, and that means they might not be that popular to add to whatever votes Alan as a person may garner for himself.

On the other hand, Nana’s team is replete with accomplished NPP faithful with solid bases in the party. Most of them are well known faces, who, have in one form or the other established solid credentials. The fact that some of them contested the party’s presidential primary the last time round and managed to get some votes offer the possibility that those votes could be transferred to Nana Addo this time around. This is when most of the delegates are retained though.

Indeed based on the party’s historical antecedent, Nana Addo may pick the August slot, but whether he would have the appeal nationwide is also another factor; especially after admitting at his media interaction last Wednesday that he lacks the appeal, although he believes he is the best person for the job.

In a country where politics often thrives on trivial issues like a person’s looks and stature, the only way Alan’s chances could be boosted would be when NPP delegates look beyond internal party politics to national politics, especially how to win votes of the youth and women.

Perhaps that explains why Alan is asking party delegates to look beyond the NPP and vote for someone who can secure the party floating voters.