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As reported in the Tuesday, August 18, 2015 edition of The aL-hAJJ, opposition New Patriotic Party strongman and first Northern born chairman, Paul Afoko and his uncompromising General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, have finally forced the party�s 2016 flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to abandon his agenda to see them take an early shower.

The most-abused and publicly humiliated national officers of the biggest opposition party have endured many months of human degradation from loyalists of Nana Akufo-Addo, for a crime they have consistently and vehemently deny knowledge of.

Among the motives why Akufo Addo and his apologists wanted Afoko and Kwabena removed from office was that the two were �working� against the twice defeated presidential candidate�s third and possibly, final attempt at the presidency.

But, having realized continuous hounding of the two national officers could hurt his 2016 bid, coupled with the recent discovery of the operation of a secret account by Nana Akufo-Addo�s aficionados within the National Executive Committee of the party; the former Abuakwa South legislator has finally decided to make peace with his hitherto vilified two adversaries.

The aL-hAJJ in its last edition reported on its front page a story with the caption �Desperate of Becoming President�Akufo Addo Makes Peace With Afoko & Agyapong -After several failed attempts to remove them�, of how Nana Akufo Addo has been compelled to smoke the peace pipe with his two supposed nemeses who, he and his supporters claim, were bent on denying him his childhood dream of becoming president of Ghana.

This was evident, Tuesday, when the previously combative Akufo-Addo joined the National Chairman and the General Secretary, his running mate and other party stalwarts at Alisa Hotel to churn out what the party said was the �smoking gun� indicating the country�s register was bloated; to back their demand for the compilation of a new register.

To ensure that his latest flirtation with Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong is no fluke, Nana Akufo-Addo, a source close him told The aL-hAJJ, has cautioned all his supporters to, with immediate effect, refrain from attacking the two most despised national executives.

�Nana has sternly cautioned founding member of the NPP, Ayisi Boateng; member of National Council of the party, Dr AmoakoTuffuor; Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyepong and Wontumi, the Ashanti regional chairman and other foul-mouth loyalists who have consistently attacked Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong to put an end to it immediately,� the source revealed.

Nana Akufo Addo�s fatwa to the hitherto attackers of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, party sources say, may have informed Sir John�s recent favorable comments about Kwabena Agyapong and the national executives of the party on Accra based radio station, OK FM.

Sir John, in an interview with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese last Friday on OK Fm, encouraged party supporters to give their fullest support to his successor General Secretary (having previously abused him) and all other elected officers of the party to enable them give up their best.

"I am appealing to all our members to give our elected national officers the needed cooperation to execute the mandate bestowed on the so that 2016 will be ours for the taking," he advised.

Continuing, the acidic mouth former General Gecretary of the largest opposition NPP said "I have contributed my part as one of the best GS of the party. The mantle has now fallen to Kwabena and I think we should all give him the necessary support... it�s unfortunate when one does nine good things but falters on one, we most often only concern ourselves with the one unfortunate incident."

In yet the clearest indication of dropping his aggressive and uncompromising stand on the two most vilified national officers of the elephant party, Nana Akufo-Addo was recently reported to have directed his once most trusted attorney in the NPP, Lawyer Phillip Addison, (who had called on him to intervene in the controversial Klottey Korley Parliamentary primaries which, he miserably lost) to use the party�s structures and therefore, directed him to send his petition to Kwabena Agyapong, the General Secretary.

Nana Akufo-Addo, for the first time in many months last week, was spotted together with Kwabena Agyapong at James Town for a party outreach program.

And again, over the weekend, the embattled General Secretary, Kwabena Agyapong, was seen with the 2016 flag bearer of the NPP at Akuapem where they have gone to grieve with the people of Okuapenman on the loss of their overlord, Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III.

Party insiders have told this paper that, as a result of Akufo Addo�s positive overtures to the two former under-pressure party leaders, some of the NPP 2016 flag bearer�s trusted assigns, including the likes of National Treasurer, Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah, who had been riding on the back of Nana Akufo-Addo�s solid support in the party to disrespect the duo, are now beginning to yield to their dictates and command (more on this soon).

Nana Akufo-Addo and his loyalists, prior to the election of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong as National Chairman and General Secretary respectively, have tagged them as archenemies of his (Akufo-Addo�s) 2016 presidential bid.

Until recently, the duo have been harangued and pursued over claims they are in bed with the ruling National Democratic Congress to deny Nana AkufoAddo victory in next year�s presidential election.

As a result, the 2016 flag bearer of the party was reported to have tasked his devotees within the leadership of the party do everything in their power to have the two removed.
But they were to have the shock of their lives when the party�s World Bank, Ashanti, and the Brong Ahafo regions scuttle a move to impeach Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, rendering the whole exercise futile.

As a result, party sources say, Nana Akufo Addo was left with no option than to back down on his fiendish plan and thus, the decision to embrace the two, if even grudgingly.

What is said to have also pushed Nana Akufo-Addo to move from his previously held entrenched stand; not to negotiate for a cease fire with Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, a source has revealed to this paper, is the impending National Executive Committee meeting during which he (Nana) is expected to name his campaign team and present his plans for the 2016 elections..

Another reason for Akufo-Addo�s capitulation, according to reports available to The aL-hAJJ is that, Nana Akufo-Addo is also mindful of the constitutional role of the National Chairman in conjunction with the General Secretary in convening all meetings of the party, as well as, the processes of correspondence between the party and other relevant bodies and stakeholders, hence, the unexpected summersault.