Founding member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has said the supposed Asante-Akyem rivalry within the party does not pose any threat ahead of the 2016 General Elections.

According to him, the NPP is not an Akan party because its nucleus came from the north and still believes in the Dombo-Busia-Danquah tradition.

Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe's comment comes on the back of a claim by Former Attorney General, Nii Ayikoi Otoo that the NPP risked losing the 2016 election due to the rivalry between the Asante and Akyem caucus in the party.

Nii Ayikoi Otoo, who is also vying for the chairmanship position, feared NPP may remain in perpetual opposition if the situation was not nib in the bud.

But on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Monday, Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe opined that “I don’t see the NPP as an Asante or Akyem party but tribalism appears to be raising it ugly head again in the party”.

He said the only way NPP could dispel that “Akan party” notion is to encourage the non-Akans to take up leadership position in the party.

“The non-Akans in NPP must be given the opportunity to vie for positions to make the party attractive to all. Every member of the NPP irrespective of his ethnic background should be hopeful of leading the party to any elections now or in the future”, he noted. 

Ahead of the party national delegates congress next year, the NPP guru urged delegates to elect leaders, who will be representative of “Ghana’s ethnic make-up”.

Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe therefore noted that the NPP must avoid the Ashante and Akyem factions to make the party appeal to Ghanaians of all walks of life.