If anybody in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is considering taking over from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2020, then that person has a herculean task to accomplish as the President has no intention of stepping down, Today can report.
Contrary to speculations that President Akufo-Addo, due to his age, will not run for the next presidential election in 2020, the president at the weekend in Cape Coast t in the Central Region during the NPP’s annual delegates’ conference put to rest that speculation, leaving many NPP presidential hopefuls worried.
The NPP leader told the enthusiastic crowd who were mainly the party’s supporters and activists that: “I keep hearing people saying I should rest; I’m buzzing around too much.”
However, he said despite his age, he was not as weak as people may think.
President Akufo-Addo, who is 73 years old, will be 76 in 2020, but the third-time lucky man in his presidential attempt refused to accept that age was not on his side.
“It’s difficult when there’s so much work to be done. But I know that a lot of people are saying it because they think that I’m an old man.
But I know one thing; ‘It is not by might, nor is it by power but it is by my spirit,’ said the Lord of host,” he said.
It would be recalled that President Akufo-Addo on July 9, this year when he met the country’s traditional leaders to solicit for their support to fight illegal mining said he would put his presidency on the line with a commitment to end the illegal small scale mining popularly called galamsey.
He added that he was not bothered about the threats of those who would vote against him in the next presidential election, confirming that age will not stop him from contesting, come 2020
Although he (President Akufo-Addo) was cheered up by the party supporters, when he said this, according to a member of the party’s national executives, who spoke to Today in an interview on condition of anonymity from Cape Coast, the president’s comments on his age will hurt some presidential hopefuls of the party who were waiting to take over from him.
“I haven’t spoken to anybody yet, but some of them I know who want to contest in 2020, including his own Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, are not happy with the president’s second term bid,“ the source said.
Earlier at the conference grounds, the deputy Chief of Staff, Abu Jinapor, addressing the party’s delegates affirmed his boss’ intention to contest in the 2020 election when he said, “ come, January 7, 2021, at the Independence Square, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be sworn in as the President of the Republic of Ghana.”
And as if it was a plan to dissuade the minds of those who were lacing their boots to take over the baton from President Akufo-Addo, the party’s Cape Coast North Member of Parliament (MP), Barbara Asher Ayisi, when she took her turn to address the party’s supporters at the conference, indicated that President Akufo-Addo will be retained in 2020.
Meanwhile, our further investigations within the government’s cabinet have revealed that some cabinet ministers who have presidential ambition were determined to face President Akufo-Addo boot-for-boot if he decides to carry out his intention to contest in 2020.
Although our source said President Akufo-Addo never went into any agreement with any party member prior to his victory in the 2016 election that he would not contest in the 2020 election some potential flag-bearers of the party, the source added, feared he (President Akufo-Addo) will not have the strength and energy at the age of 76 to govern the country effectively if he wins.