Listening to Chairman Bugri Naaba’s response to an alleged embezzlement of party funds, I want to believe that the demons pursuing the NPP are in camboo shoes so leaders and members of the party do not perceive ominous signals.
And Opana too is going around saying that the NPP will win 90% of votes in the Ashanti Region in 2016. Kai, this can never happen even if Opana is made the EC boss. And I’ll explain; to do that I think a historical remembrance of what brought about an enmity between Asantes and Akyems which will forever cause the NPP in any election, would be necessary.
In 1717, Osei Tutu I, a prominent Ashanti King was killed in a war against the Akyems. At the onset of the struggle, he had underestimated the Akyems because they were few in number, and so he went into battle without his usual “magical amulets,” and even left some of his body armor back in Kumasi, his capital. As he was crossing River Prah in a canoe, he was struck by bullets from Akyem snipers and sharpshooters, who were hiding in the dense treeline. Asantehene Osei Tutu I died minutes after being shot. His last words were “Ankah me nim a” (If only I knew), an apparent reference to his having underestimated the Akyems. Till the present day the occupant of the Golden Stool is forbidden to cross River Prah.
The aforementioned accounts I believe are some of the major reasons why some Asantes will do everything in their power to scuttle the bid of an Akyem president in Ghana. They believe an Akyem president will not respect the Asantehene. But for this problem of the Asantes and Akyems, Nana Akufo Addo would have won the 2008 presidential election, and I think a scientific proof at this point will help. In the 2000 presidential election, Former President Kuffour had 75.55% of the Ashanti Region votes and 79.89% in the runoff which gives an average of 77.72%. In 2004, Kufour again had 77% of the Ashanti Region votes.
Interestingly, in 2008, Nana Akufo Addo, had 72.53% in the main election and 74.39 in the runoff in the Ashanti Region. The average of this is 73.46% and the total votes cast was 1,873,129. Juxtaposing Kuffour’s average of 77.36% with Akufo Addo’s 74.39%, Nana lost 2.97% votes in the Ashanti Region, and this translates to 55,631 votes based on the total votes cast. My research shows that Akufo Addo lost about the same number of votes from the total number of Asantes spread in the other 9 regions; and hehehehe, Nana needed about 100,000 votes to become president. I will give you further and better particulars if you are still not convince about my analysis. In the 2012 presidential elections, Nana Akuffo Addo’s votes in the Ashanti Region plummeted to 70.86%. So, you see, in 2008 Ashanti region was angry, in 2012 they were angrier, and in 2016 they will be angriest especially when some leading members of the party have disrespected the great Otumfour. Nobody should be surprise if WADAA hits the 60% mark this time around! Please don’t ask of the full meaning of WADAA, I don’t want any all-die-be-die Wahala.
The most scary part of this rivalry is that if Nana Addo loses the 2016 presidential election, and the Asante faction tries to bring a candidate for 2020, laa ilaaha illallah, the vicious Akyem Mafia will show them something small, and I can hear them sing: “Hi, hi, hihi, we go come like kakai.”
The above analysis reminds me of an akan proverbial drum called Kwesi Anata Twini. It is believed that if the drum is beaten, one will lose the father, and if it’s not beaten, one’s mother will die; such is the predicament the NPP finds itself; unfortunately, the Asante Boko Haram have decided to hit the drum very hard! I, therefore, agree with Nana Akufo Addo in his concluding remark during his reconciliatory speech after the Supreme Court verdict that the battle continues to be the loss, eiii sorry, the Lord’s.
