<<Print>>

THE ANIMOSITY and internal bickering that have in recent times characterized campaign for the flagbearership race between supporters of the two leading candidates, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo and Mr. John Kwadwo Alan Kyetematen, could soon be a thing of the past. Leaders of the two groups, fronting for their various political icons, �Crusaders of Nana Akufo Addo� (CONAA) and �Get Alan Kyerematen Elected� (GAKE) have pledged to work in unity and ensure campaign free of mudslinging, insults and character assassination. Mr. Hopeson Adorye Okesis and Okatakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang smoked a peace pipe at a symbolic unity meeting in Kumasi, promising to whip their followers in line in order to ensure a clean campaign and preserve unity and stability within the biggest opposition party. The two factions had in recent times been at loggerheads with each other, as they attempted to advance the causes of their preferred candidates ahead of the party�s flagbearer contest later this year. Representatives of the two groups hopped from one media house to another, firing salvos at each other all in the name of projecting their candidates. The apparent Cold War became a source of concern to the leadership of the party, compelling the National Chairman, Mr. Paul Afoko, to issue a �fatwa�, threatening to deal with any candidate who fails to call his supporters to order. But it appears they would finally be a prevalence of peace as the leadership of the two groups has vowed to cease hostilities and resort to issue-based campaign that can help advance the progress of the party. Mr. Hopeson Adorye told The Chronicle after the meeting last week that both CONAA and GAKE have come to agreement that engaging in campaign of insults and mudslinging would not be in the best interest of the party. According to him, their energies must rather be channeled towards the party�s major opponents, especially the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) whose poor performance has brought untold hardships to Ghanaians. �We agreed to issue-based campaign this morning, CONAA extended an olive branch to GAKE and they accepted it, so for now we will only engage in campaign based on issues and strengths of our respective candidates,� he noted.