I am not for Alan 'Cash' - President Kufuor

H.E. President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, yesterday held a crucial meeting with the presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the Castle, Osu. The meeting was held behind closed doors and attended by NPP national executive members, including the National Chairman, Mr Peter Mac-Manu, the General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, and the National Organiser, Lord Commey. Although there was no official statement regarding what transpired at the meeting, snippets of information the Daily Graphic gathered pointed to the fact that the key issues centred on how the aspirants could carry out their campaigns based on issues and ensure that the ruling government handed over to itself. The President was said to have discussed the contentious issue of his support for Mr Alan Kyerematen with the aspirants, our sources said President Kufuor once again denied his support for any of the aspirants and explained that what was important to him was the election of a candidate who could build on his legacy and unify all members of the party for the major task of the 2008 electioneering so that power could be transferred from him to another NPP candidate. Other issues discussed included the thorny issue of the composition of delegates for the December 22 Special National Delegates Congress to choose a flag bearer from the contenders for the 2008 general election. Among the issues raised in that respect were suggestions to the effect that the nine constituency executives in the 230 constituencies across the country be taken as delegates, with one additional delegate elected and added to them to constitute the 10 delegates for each constituency. That argument was said to have been informed by the pressure of time in conducting fresh elections to choose delegates for the congress. The other view was that fresh constituency delegate congresses be conducted throughout the 230 constituencies, using polling station chairmen as the electoral college to select the 10 constituency delegates. The meeting was held in a free and frank atmosphere, although the candidates did not mince words in expressing their concerns about some developments during the campaign. It is believed by inside sources that that matter would eventually have to be resolved by the National Council of the party in the run-up to the congress. The presidential aspirants who were present included the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama; the former Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankomah; the former Foreign Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo; the former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang; the former Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives (PSIs), Mr Alan Kyerematen; the former Minister of Communications, Professor Mike Oquaye; the former Press Secretary to the President and Presidential Spokesman, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, and Mr Boakye K. Agyarko. Others were former Minister of Regional Integration and NEPAD, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku; the former Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, and a former Minister of Information and a former General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Dan Botwe. The rest were the former Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor; a former Deputy Minister of the Interior, Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (retd); a former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Felix Owusu-Adjapong; Dr Arthur Kennedy; a former Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo; Ghana's Ambassador to Japan, Dr Baffour Adjei Bawuah, and the former Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng. At the time of filing this report, Mr Kwame Kodua was yet to attend the meeting. The National Executive was said to have assured all the candidates that it would endeavour to abide by the code governing the process of the election of a presidential candidate. Source: Daily Graphic

Castle Meets NPP Aspirants Today

A crunch meeting is scheduled for this evening, Monday October 15, 2007 between President John Agyekum Kufuor and the 19 odd Presidential candidates at Australia house, Accra to iron out fissures that have emerged in certain issues that could cloud the atmosphere and muddy the process leading up to the December 22, 2007 delegates conference.

The meeting is at the instance of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and would feature Mr. Odoi Sykes, Ms. Ama Busia, Nana Awuku, Professor Adzei Bekoe and Mr. Ayeh and a few more high ranking officials of the Council.At the heart of the meeting is the issue of fairness which some of the aspirants believe is skewed and which they believe the president could deploy the huge clout he enjoys within the leadership of the NPP to assuage frayed nerves.

Key among the multiple concerns at the heart of the aspirants is the needling issue of the President and his not-so-subtle support for Mr. Alan John Kwadwo Kyeremanten which is causing concern. Chief as he is known has not helped matters with his 'in-your-face' interview in the Heritage newspaper in which he literally said 'and so what? Is it not you who say that anybody the president supports loses?'While some of the aspirants acknowledge that the President is free to support whom he may, they think that his absence of neutrality in the process may impinge on his standing.

The process which is making the rounds in NPP circles is that a congress which is scheduled for next month to evolve a new set of rules where District Chief Executives could become delegates and vote at the delegates’ congress is disturbing, particularly when the DCEs are supposed to fund the congress in their constituencies.'We have always maintained this format at all previous elections, and we are very happy with that, there is no need to have another congress to elect delegates.'

It is the tinkering of the process which is the source of deepest concern to the aspirants none of who would go on record.'Some of our friends are DCEs and regional Ministers and they visibly tremble when we attempt to visit them at their offices or homes, because they could lose their jobs. Now we all know so we generally do not expose them to this risk at all when we go on tours', noted one aspirant who spoke the mind of most of the aspirants.A huge pall of unease hangs in the air as the aspirants converge at Australia house today.The property in Cantonments was previously owned by the Australian High Commission but fell into disrepair when the mission left Ghana several years ago.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the tail end of the NDC administration took over the house and commissioned Messrs Kufuor and Hallal (J &H) contractors at Takoradi to renovate it. It was widely believed that it was going to be the property of FIt Lt. Jerry Rawlings as part of his end of service benefit if Professor Mills had won the last elections.
Source:The Chronicle

Meteors complete double over Amaglug-glug

Ghana's Olympic team, Black Meteors inched closer to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, courtesy a 3-1 thrashing over their South African counterparts, Amaglug-glug in a Group A qualifier at the El-Wak Sports Stadium on Sunday.
A brace from Udinese striker Asamoah Gyan and another from Greek-based Bernard Kumordzi ensured the Meteors completed a famous double over the South African, after beating them by a similar margin at their backyard in August.
The result takes the Meteors to the apex of the Group with six points, two more than closest rivals Nigeria, with the Amaglug-glug rooted at the bottom with just a point.
The tensioned packed game started on a high note with the Ghanaians, who paraded seven foreign-based players in the starting line up dictating the pace from the onset.
The trio of Kumordzi, Anthony Annan and captain Michael Helegbe had the upper-hand in the midfield battle, which made the Amaglug-glug rear the busier on the opening minutes.
The attacking trio of Nafiu Iddrisu of ASEC Mimosas, Prince Tagoe and Gyan combined beautifully upfront and often became victims of rough play from the likes of Kelvin Sosibo, Thepelo Tshito and Musa Bilankulu. In one of such moves of the Meteors in the 28th minute, Nafiu, who has been in terrific with ASEC in the Ivorian Championship was fouled by his marker close to the penalty area.
Gyan headed home the opener from Helegbe's free-kick to send the thousands of fans into an ecstatic mood with Amaglug-glug goalie Humeleng Khune completely beaten.
The Meteors piled the pressure on their guests and six minutes later Kumordzi doubled the lead just on the edge of the box. The lanky midfielder connected beautifully from Michael Akuffo's cross from the left flank.
Well-built Isaac Vorsah, who was a pillar in the Meteors defence was on hand to foil the attacks of the South Africans on several occasions.
The visitors resumed strongly and succeeded in reducing the deficit in the 56th minute through Edwin Isaacs, who soared above his markers to nod home Bryce Moon's cross from the right flank.
Meteors coach, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio introduced Sampson Cudjoe, Obed Ansah and Kojo Asamoah for Michael Akuffo, Nafiu and Helegbe respectively later in the game and it paid off.
With four minutes to full time, Gyan sealed victory with his second of the day with a curling shot beyond the reach of the Amaglug-glug goalie after rounding off his marker beautifully.
The Meteors will wrap their campaign with the ultimate match on November 18 against Nigeria at the same venue.
The top placed team at the end qualifies for next year's Olympic Games.
Line up: Nii Baah; Michael Akuffo, Isaac Vorsah, Bawah Mumuni, Daniel Addo; Yao Kumordzi Bernard, Michael Helegbe, Anthony Annan; Gyan Asamoah, Nafiu Iddrisu, Prince Tagoe
Table .............P W D L GF GA Pts Ghana .......3 2 0 1 8 5 6 Nigeria .....2 1 1 0 4 3 4 South Africa 3 0 1 2 3 7 1

Owusu-Ankomah - NPP aspirants are not wasting money

A presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paapa Owusu-Ankomah, has said it was not true that presidential aspirants of the party were showing off or wasting money.He said money was "needed to expend ideas" to the people and that "the contest is not about money but about ideas". He also dismissed assertions that the number of the party's aspiring presidential candidates was too large and this would not help delegates to the party congress the opportunity to determine the best of the aspirants.Paapa Owusu-Ankomah said campaigns by the aspirants were rejuvenating the party at all levels. Paapa Owusu-Ankomah, MP for Sekondi, said this when he presented the key to a double-cabin Mahindra Scorpio pick-up to the Central Regional Secretariat of the NPP at a ceremony in Cape Coast."We are all out to strengthen and position the party for the job it has set out to do".The aspiring presidential candidate, who has already donated 10 motorbikes to the secretariat, said he would be adding nine more to be distributed to each of the 19 constituencies in the region.He said there was the need for the party to consolidate the gains it had made as well as strive to increase its support in all parts of the country.He said during his tours of the country, it became evident that the regional and constituency branches of the NPP needed such support to enhance their activities.Paapa Owusu-Ankomah appealed to his colleague aspirants to help improve the party's finances and logistics at the regional and constituency levels to increase its changes of winning the 2008 elections. He said he presented the vehicle to the regional secretariat not just because he was an aspirant but because he had confidence that the region, "which has shown the way forward for the party's future," would maintain the party's 16 seats and win the remaining three in the coming elections. He commended the Central Regional branches and the Western Region for increasing the party's parliamentary seats from three each in 1992 to 16 and 12 respectively in the 2004 elections and said the Central Region was in the lead as a potential stronghold for the party.The Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Ekow Dankwa-Smith, expressed gratitude to the aspirant for the vehicle and gave the assurance that it would be used to step up activities towards the party's victory in the region and called for unity.Source: GNA