The Head of Political Science Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, says the seeming overwhelming endorsement of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo�s decision to run for President for the third time, does not automatically guarantee him victory if others decide to contest the party�s primaries.
Nana Addo ended the anxiety amongst party loyalists on Thursday, when he finally broke the silence on his political future declaring he is fit and ready for a third slot at age 70.
In an interview with Ultimate Radio, the astute political analyst, Dr Richard Amoako Baah, said the much touted acclamation does not necessarily place Nana Addo in the top spot for the position as the supporters do not yet know who else is coming next.
Addressing a huge crowd of enthusiastic supporters at his Nima Residence on Thursday, Nana Akufo-Addo said he was compelled by widespread consultations and persistent calls on him to contest again to redeem Ghana from its quagmire of retrogression.
The one-time Attorney General, who turns 70 years this year on March 29, took a break from his political career in London where he spent six months to reflect on his future.
Obviously overwhelmed by the pressure, Nana Addo said he will participate in the next NPP presidential primaries and hopefully reverse what he says are the failures of the incumbent NDC administration when he delivers victory to the party in 2016.
But Speaking on Ultimate Radio after the announcement, Dr. Amoako Baah cautioned that Nana Addo not to assume that he has already won the race as according to him, there was enough evidence to prove that not all assumptions had necessarily led political aspirants to victory.
Drawing a parallel to what happened in the United States of America; he said �I wouldn�t think this would be a walk over for him because that is exactly what people assumed when Obama was running.� Mrs. Clinton was the presumed front runner and from nowhere Obama came and took it away. It is possible that someone may come up who will be able to do that.�
He admitted though that Nana Addo was not a candidate to be spoken off as �heading for defeat�. As he put it �at least I have seen some of the indicators and the popularity he enjoys still and so we should wait for the delegates to decide.�
He however dismissed as untenable, suggestions especially from Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako that Nana Addo should be allowed to run unopposed as allowing other candidates to contest could breed factionalism which could cost the party dearly.
Dr. Amoako Baah told Ultimate Radio�s Bernard Buachie factionalism was not necessarily a bad phenomenon but even needful for the primary elections of any political party.
He questioned, �If everybody agrees that one candidate is the best candidate, then where lies the need for primary elections? But if there are two or three candidates contesting, the people will then have the chance to decide who had the biggest support of the delegates�.
He added however that what the proponents of an unopposed Nana Addo should occupy themselves with, is how all other factions in the party would be galvanized should Nana win the elections.
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