News:
December 20, 2011
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has asked the leadership and rank and file of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) not to get excited by recent opinion polls which suggest the party was likely to win the 2012 elections but rather continue to work hard to secure victory.
In line with this, the Suame MP has suggested that whoever is selected to partner NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo must attract the necessary votes to add to the general appeal of the flagbearer to ensure the party comfortably crosses the 50 per cent mark.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was speaking to The Globe newspaper in the wake of recent allegations that the Minority caucus was pushing for their Deputy Leader, Ambrose Dery to partner Nana Akufo-Addo in next year’s general elections.
Whilst denying the allegations, the Minority Leader revealed that some members of the Minority had discussed the matter but had not made any representation on the matter to the flagbearer and had no plans doing so.
He, however, cautioned NPP members not to be complacent due to the results of some recent opinion polls which puts them ahead of the ruling NDC.
Two opinion polls conducted by Synovate, formerly Steadman, have put Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP’s Presidential candidate for the 2012 elections ahead of the incumbent President and NDC candidate for the elections, Professor John Atta Mills.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, however, cautions that “None of the polls so far has put us past the 50 plus one vote which will lets us win power.”
“We are now in opposition. Let’s not kid ourselves. The battle is going to be stronger than it was in 2008. We have heard of opinion polls suggesting that we are in the lead [but] we shouldn’t be complacent. None of the polls thus far has put us over and above 50 percent even though they seem to indicate that the NPP is in the lead”.
According to him, the onus lied on the 2012 Presidential candidate of the NPP to choose a running mate who best complemented his efforts and will also bring in the needed votes for victory.
Four names have consistently floated at the top of possible running mates for the NPP flagbearer, including his 2008 partner, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. Others are former GFA president Alhaji M. N. D Jawula, Metro TV’s Haruna Alhassan and Deputy Minority Leader Ambrose Dery.
It is however reported that having been hit by the news that the flag bearer intended choosing a Muslim from the northern part of the country to partner him, the Minority at a meeting in Koforidua rallied support for Ambrose Dery who is a Northern Christian.
Speaking to The Globe, however, Minority Leader Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu denied that the Minority had taken a stance on the matter, although some members had expressed their opinions at the said Koforidua meeting.
He gave the assurance that the Minority group will not hijack the decision to be taken by the Flag bearer by imploring him to choose anybody.
The Minority leader maintained that his group respects the mandate given to Nana Akufo-Addo by the NPP constitution to choose his vice in consultation with the Party and will therefore not stampede him into making any hasty decisions.
Source: The Globe newspaper