Nana Akomea said he expected to finish first or second in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) national executive elections but ended up third. The result disappointed him, he told reporters on Monday, though he acknowledged the contest was tightly fought.
“Yes, it disappointed me a little, but I knew it was going to be tough,” Akomea said. The final tally confirmed how close the race was. He described the vote differences between the top four candidates as narrow margins.
“The gap between myself and Mustafa was just about maybe 80, and then between myself and Nana B was just another 70 or so, and between Nana B and Kojo Bamba was maybe another 100 and something,” he said. “The top four: 2900 and something, 2900 and something, 2900 and something, 3000 and something. It’s very close, very tight.”
Akomea, recently elected as Third Vice Chairperson, said the closeness of the results made it difficult to separate the leading candidates clearly. He had little faith in opinion polls before the election, focusing instead on direct engagement with delegates.
“This one, you are meeting the delegates directly,” he said. “Don’t let T-shirts come between you and them. Don’t let them focus on caps and T-shirts and paraphernalia, and you don’t need the polls because you are meeting the people directly.”
Akomea attributed Kojo Bamba’s strong finish in part to a campaign message that differed from the others. While Akomea, Mustapha Hamid, Nana B, and others emphasized their long service and experience within the party, Bamba focused on security for delegates and the electoral process.
“Bamba’s message was clever, very clever. His message was different,” Akomea said. “Whilst Nana B., myself, Mustapha Hamid, Ahiagbah, and all those people, we had basically the same message that we had served the party faithfully for a long time. We’ve had a lot of experience, and we had a profile, a brand in the party, and want to use that brand to help the party.”
Bamba positioned himself as a protector of the delegates’ interests. “Bamba’s message was that these people—they’ve served the party for a long time. I don’t intend to compete with them, but what I want to give to you is your security,” Akomea explained. “So you vote for two of them. Two of them, and then make sure that you admin for the sake of your security. So they will do the work, and I’ll just protect the ballot and protect you.”
The national executive election was closely contested, with vote counts clustered around the 2900 to 3000 mark for the top candidates, reflecting a competitive field within the NPP. Akomea’s reflections came days after the results were announced, following an intense campaign season within the party.
According to Joy Online.
