Comment: Much [Akufo] Ado About Nothing!

Castle Jubilates As Nana Addo Wins | General News 2010-08-09

Comment: Much [Akufo] Ado About Nothing!

I usually tweet my comments on twitter which is integrated in facebook so I can assure a wider audience to each opinion I express. I was amused by the nature of the composition this time, when I went back to look at my twitter address. My comment which actually has been a draft at the works for a feature article, had the title: "Much [Akufo] Ado About Nothing!" Captioned a first draft of feature article coming very soon on a screen near you! by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro. Author: Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro. Date: 2010-08-09 13:00:18 Comment to: Bogus Fake Report! Has No Merits

The comments on twitter normally carry first the comment and then the article in question follows. This time it gave such a beautiful combination: my own comment on the news item, as it appeared on twitter, and the reaction in the castle had a ring of truth:  
"Comment: Much [Akufo] Ado About Nothing! Castle Jubilates As Nana Addo Wins | General News 2010-08-09: http://bit.ly/cYMWaU via @addthis 10 minutes ago via web" See: http://twitter.com/TheOdikro

I am also of a similar position here, just like the Castle observers. I cannot see how Akufo-Addo is going to defeat President Atta-Mills. The strongest weapon they used in their campaign particularly, leading to the run-off was the notoriously fraudulent e-mail that was purported to have carried what came to be called, the Rawlings' Hit-List. In which the NPP argued that Rawlings was going to go amok and kill a large number of prominent Ghanaians should Atta-Mills be voted into power! It was so stupid that even hard-core supporters of the NPP and opponents of Rawlings such as Kweku Baako Jnr., publicly expressed doubts about the authenticity of this mysterious e-mail. They further tried to create the impression that the candidate Atta Mills is not his own man, and that he was going to be in the tutelage of Rawlings. This has also been debunked by the numerous events which have clearly rolled out under public scrutiny.

President Mills was teased as going too slow. When he decided to tackle the huge housing deficit, they were so amazed with the speed that they started crying foul! Soon, the go slow tag shall be back to haunt them just as all other previously ill-considered slogans! From my own interpretation of the voting pattern, Nana Akufo-Addo is yet to make any meaningful inroads in the vital areas that brought him down.

We have for example the Volta Region, where Alan Kyeremanten mysteriously got the highest votes was the same region where Akufo-Addo got the lowest. For me an indication of an Alan Kyeremanten vote is a rejection of Akufo-Addo. Akufo Addo begins this campaign already on one foot because the only region where Alan virus had been cleared even before the last Presidential elections was the Eastern Region. Thus nothing has really changed on the ground. The Ashanti Region displayed the same ambivalence that saw them vote 200,000 votes more at the December 7, elections and less at the run-off where Akufo Addo needed less than 30,000 votes to win! It is an NPP strong hold all right, but it not yet an Akufo Addo stronghold.

One may follow the geographical distribution of the votes for Alan Cash and tally with the results of the presidential run-off and be amazed at how accurately this continues to reflect the same pattern that saw the president Professor John Evans Atta-Mills the winner the other time around. The NPP vote only confirms that Nana Akufo Addo has made some inroads in securing a virtual control over the party machine, but in the crucial areas where he was weak, the weakness continue to show through the endorsements Alan got in spite of Akufo Addo's overwhelming "fire-power"!

Those areas need to be carefully monitored. We have to deny the Akufo Addo camp from making any further inroads. These are areas which already have their doubts about the guy. It is relatively easier for the president to win them over than for Akufo Addo. The first leg of the campaing strategy must be on consolidation. That is reinforcing the support base in the selected zones. That check-mates Akufo Addo in his tracts and brings us back to a convenient repeat of another electoral victory over him!

What these results tell me is that a sizeable amount of NPP bona fide members sincerely believe that as the eyes and ears on the ground, a preference for Alan Kyerematen could have augmented the party's fortunes. Incidentally these are areas where Nana Akufo Addo needs to catch up on Mills if he is to make any impact at all. They seem to be no go areas even within his own party, having served once as its flag-bearer, this speaks volumes! I am comparing with the electoral results with the last time around, he is displaying the same strengths and weaknesses that led him to nowhere!

See: Full Results http://elections.peacefmonline.com/elections/nppvotes2010/
Greater Accra Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 9,604 86.68%
Alan Kyerematen 1,361 12.28%

Ashanti Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 14,455 74.92%
Alan Kyerematen 4,458 23.10%

Eastern Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 12,333 91.02%
Alan Kyerematen 1,130 8.34%

Central Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 7,058 76.11%
Alan Kyerematen 2,062 22.23%

Western Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 9,505 85.88%
Alan Kyerematen 1,431 12.93%

Volta Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 5,109 49.83%
Alan Kyerematen 4,871 47.51%

Northern Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 9,148 85.27%
Alan Kyerematen 1,400 13.05%

Upper East Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 3,942 73.01%
Alan Kyerematen 1,283 23.76%

Upper West Region, Nana Akufo-Addo 2,771 64.74%
Alan Kyerematen 1,393 32.55%

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!

Cheers!
–
Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro