It is becoming obvious that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is gradually losing grip on its electoral stronghold, the Ashanti Region.
Information reaching Today indicates that many NPP members and supporters in the region are angry with both their national and regional officers.
The anger of the members, Today understands, stems from the fact that the party’s presence was not very much felt at the 17th Anniversary of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s, ascension to the Golden Stool.
As the occasion was graced by the President of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, and top-notch National Democratic Congress (NDC) members, many NPP members who spoke to Today expressed disappointment in the fact that their flag-bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, failed to attend the event.
Still worrying to the NPP supporters who spoke to Today was the fact that the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, (aka Chairman Wuntomi) was also not present during the celebration.
Today’s findings established that the office of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II sent separate invitation letters of the event to the Nima office of Nana Addo Dankwa Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the NPP headquarters at Asylum Down, together with other political parties.
However, when Today contacted deputy Communications Director of the NPP, Anthony Abayefa Karbo, on phone he could neither deny nor confirm the story.
According to him, they (the NPP) cannot be at every programme all the time, stressing that “I believe there were some representatives of the party there.”
Equally baffling was the fact that Manhyia palace could not understand why NPP failed to send a high-powered delegation to the anniversary, although Mr. Peter Mac Manu, who attended the programme, said he represented Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Meanwhile, a press statement issued yesterday and signed by the Press Secretary to Nana Addo, Eugene Arhin, has stated that Nana Addo has travelled to UK to celebrate the wedding ceremony of his nephew.
“The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, left Ghana with his wife, Rebecca, and two daughters for the United Kingdom,” the statement noted.
“It is very shameful that the NPP which stronghold is the Ashanti Region could not send a high-powered delegation to the celebration. If Nana Addo for one reason or the other was not coming, which reason we are yet to know, the party [NPP] could have sent top-notch members to come and grace the occasion, but this did not happen, the sources lamented.
Whilst some angry NPP members described the move by their party as “disrespectful to the authority of Otumfuo,” others stated emphatically that it will affect the electoral fortunes of the party in the region, come November 7.
However, unlike the NPP, the NDC ensured that their members in the Ashanti region were fully represented as the President was among the guests of Otumfuo.
According to our sources, the Ashanti regional Chairman of the NDC, Yaw Obempeh, instructed all the constituency chairmen in the region to at least bring about forty (40) people to the event so as to shore up the image of the party and President Mahama in a region which is touted as the stronghold of the NPP.
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