[ 2014-04-15 ]

I’m surprised by the scale of Jake’s loss – Nana Akomea
Former Communications Director of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea, says he was
extremely surprised by the margin of loss suffered
by the party’s incumbent chairman at its Tamale
delegates’ conference.

He said Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey had demonstrated
so much commitment and hard work as Chairman of
the NPP and deserved to do better.

The former Tourism Minister who was elected
Chairman of the opposition party in 2009 was
seeking re-election at the party’s delegates’
conference in the northern regional capital,
Tamale.

He however obtained 66 votes out of a total of
4,733 valid votes cast, an abysmal performance by
all standards, observers say.

Nana Akomea said many were shocked by the scale of
Jake’s defeat.

A relatively new-comer, Paul Afoko, won the
position by polling 2,032 votes to beat his
closest challenger, Stephen Ntim who polled 1,500
votes.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey’s Vice, Fred Oware, who
challenged him for the Chairmanship position
polled 1,135 votes.

Nana Akomea told Joy FM’s Super Morning show
host Kojo Yankson Monday, that even though there
was a deliberate and systematic campaign waged
against him across the country by some leading
members of the NPP, Jake's performance at the
polls was still shocking.

“I don’t think that Jake performed that badly
as an incumbent Chairman. He didn’t. He worked
really hard. So I am taken aback, and I’m sure
many people are surprised at the margin of his
loss,” he stated.

He dismissed assertions that the old executive
were changed because they didn’t desire to win
power for the opposition party.

Save the position of Women’s Organiser which was
retained by Ms. Afisah Otiko Djaba, the entire
executive body of the NPP was completely
overhauled.

A policy analysts with ties to the NPP, Dr.
Charles Wereko Brobby, had said that the voting
pattern was an indication that the party was
determined to “bite the bullet and decide that
it wants to be a party of power and not a party of
noise.”

Declaring that he was pleasantly surprised by the
turn of events, Dr. Wereko Brobby who was
suspended by party for allegedly making
disparaging remarks about its decision to
challenge the outcome of the 2012 elections in
court, said, “I did not particularly do anything
about my suspension because I didn’t feel that I
was dealing with rational and reasonable people
who were interested in power.”

Nana Akomea however disagreed.

He said it was wrong for Dr. Wereko Brobby to
suggest that “the old executive were not focused
on winning power.”

“Which executive will not be focused on winning
power? What is the point for people to offer
themselves and go through the [difficult] process
of campaigning and will not be focused on winning
power”? he asked.

Nana Akomea, who endorsed Mr Paul Afoko’s bid
for the chairmanship long before the conference,
said even though change is good, the NPP cannot go
to sleep simply because a new executive are in
place.

He said the immediate past executive, led by Jake
also represented a new set of executive, taking
over from the Mac Manu-led executive who
supervised the 2008 electoral defeat and yet the
party lost the 2012 elections as well.

“So we should not go and sleep or think that
because there is change then hallelujah! We still
must go and do the hard work,” he urged.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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