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Election 2016 is just about two years away, and the question on the minds of many New Patriotic Party (NPP) faithful and keen political on-watchers is: Whether Nana Akufo-Addo can be stopped by any of the other six aspirants to the NPP presidential slot. The six are Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, Joseph Ghartey and Kofi Konadu Apraku. The rest are Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Osei Ameyaw and Francis Addae Nimo.However, gauging by their popular appeal and reception, it does seem the NPP presidential primary will for the third time running be a straight contest between Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen. The two were the fore-runners in the 2007 and 2010 contests. But events preceding this year�s contest, the paper�s investigations has clearly shown, is that the NPP is not likely to come out of the contest without political bruises. The Akufo-Addo or death schism is no longer imaginary; it is so real that it has the potential of further ensuring a deep gulf or rift in the NPP in the event of an Akufo-Addo�s annexation of the party�s presidential ticket for 2016. At the height of the growing tension is what some party members see as attempts by elements within the party leadership to impose Nana Addo on the party as its candidate for 2016; and in a desperate bid to achieve that aim, these people are going at arm-length possibly to flout the party�s internal rules governing presidential primary and other acts of chicanery and character assassination, particularly against that of Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Nana Addo�s closest contender. To the extent that a pro-Akufo-Addo group that calls itself �Akufo-Addo or no NPP presidential candidate,� is so drenched in the Nana Addo candidature. And in the estimation of this group, the impending contest goes beyond an internal party struggle involving seven aspirants to the realm of a hyperbolic gang ambushing of Akufo-Addo by some six mediocre also-runs whom they believe are likely to surrender the presidency to John Dramani Mahama in 2016 if any won the NPP presidential primary. According to the group, the decision by the Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen-led challengers to contest Nana Addo in the NPP presidential primary constitutes an action not only intended to scuttle the chances of the winning candidate, Nana Addo; but has dire consequence that in the end will likely torpedo the chances of the NPP in 2016 national presidential race. �It is a contest easier to miss than to win by an Akufo-Addo-led NPP,� an NPP Member of Parliament (MP) who is one of 100 MPs who has openly declared support for Akufo-Addo argued. That explains the deliberate action by party stalwarts some of whom are within an Akufo-Addo reach to breach the NPP election regulation that stipulates that no official of the party is expected to engage in partisan politics during any intra-party contest such as that of the flag-bearer and other elected official positions. The paper gathered that it is a deliberate posture being adopted by such officials to score some valuable psychological points for Nana Addo even before the NPP presidential election later in the year. To many insiders who are privy to such machinations, it came as no surprise when some of the party�s officials mounted Akufo-Addo�s inaugural campaign platform to re-iterate their open support for the Akufo-Addo candidature. Nana Addo might be an excellent first choice for the NPP, yet there are other party faithful who believe anything short of a unanimous declaration or endorsement of his candidature, will not only go against the democratic credentials of the NPP, but will also amount to killing the competitive spirit that has over the years characterised NPP presidential nominations. �Internal competition is good and healthy for anybody who decides to run as the presidential candidate of our great party;�because it enables us to sell the candidate even before the national elections and that makes it easier for us to take on the ruling government rather than to spend all energy to package and sell the said candidate,� a group within the NPP told this paper. Invariably Nana�s abortive attempt on two occasions is also a source of concern to the group and its allied thinkers. The two losses by Nana Addo, according to the group, is a clear indication of how having virtually no challenge for one�s place in an internal party competition such as presidential nomination has the potential of damaging a candidate in a general election. Perhaps that explains why the pro-presidential primary group within the NPP is worried about attempts by the group that is trying so hard to impose Nana Addo on NPP. The often cited case is that being there twice Nana Addo is marketed nationally than any of the rest. Yet, at the finest moment of running as an incumbent candidate in 2008, Nana Addo failed the NPP when he was invariably beaten by late President Mills. And when everyone thought Nana Addo was going to make mince-meat of the political neophyte-John Dramani Mahama, who was thrown into the fray by the NDC, Nana Addo only, sought refuge at the Supreme Court to offer respite to his followers that he never lost the 2012 elections, but was cheated out. However, Ghana�s Supreme Court thought otherwise. The advocate of presidential nominations believe it is about time the NPP looked beyond its core 45 per cent votes and see which of the seven candidates has that wherewithal to attract other voters beyond the other divides and that of those with no political constituency. This is one proposition that Alan Kyerematen, for instance, has drawn NPP�s attention to it in recent times. But was there no contest or election in the two previous presidential primary of the NPP? To the group, what occurred in those two elections was just a fa�ade, with everything cooked up to ensure that Akufo-Addo won those primaries. In one of those machinations, a leading Akufo-Addo supporter, Laud Commey, sent panic through the eligible delegates that Nana�s main contender, Alan Kyerematen, was inducing delegates with money when indeed he had no prove to back it up. That was during the 2007 presidential primary of the NPP at the University of Ghana, Legon. There was also this unsubstantiated allegation that Alan was being supported by former President Kufuor and that was enough to garner for the former Trade Minister a number of enemies within the party. The excruciating effects of such callous character assassination by the Laud Commey-led butchers was so telling that in the end Alan decided to prematurely throw in the towel when he had another chance of contesting Akufo-Addo in a run-off for the 2007 presidential slot of the NPP. It thus came as a little surprise that Alan could not pick himself up to support Akufo-Addo in an open campaign preceding the 2008 elections, simply because of the hostile reaction of hard-core elements on the side of Akufo-Addo. If Alan suffered the most humiliating experience in 2007, then 2010 was perhaps the unkindest cut of all. First, there was an agenda to even get him out of the party. And when he became so frustrated about the unkind treatments being meted out to his supporters without any official intervention, he threatened to quit the NPP. That threat has become more of a walking caricature haunting Alan anytime his name came up as a possible challenger to Akufo-Addo candidature And the Akufo-Addo spin doctors have mustered and perfected that trump-card that Alan indeed quit NPP when times were hard for the party; a posture that sharply brings into question Alan�s loyalty, commitment and credibility to the cause of the NPP. That accusation has become almost an obsession among many NPP loyalists and faithful that most of them are prepared to pitch camp with other neophytes who would want to aspire for the highest post of the NPP rather than Alan. Akufo-Addo himself is also exploiting such misinformation to his advantage. Alan might not have been visible on the campaign platform of Nana Addo in the run-up to the 2012 elections because of the obvious hatred of Akufo-Addo campaign team members. Nonetheless the paper has it on authority that Alan supported the Nana campaign with motor-bicycles, money and other incentives. But such gesture was lost on many NPP supporters, except in recent times when Akufo-Addo admitted because Alan had made it open. The Akufo-Addo supporters had also not forgiven Alan for what they termed as lack of support during the landmark election petition case at the Supreme Court. They would not accept the fact that Alan was on foreign duty tour at Addis Ababa when the case was being heard. However, the paper has it on authority that anytime Alan came to Ghana and the case was being heard, he attended. But the Akufo-Addo group led by then party chairman, Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, would not acquiesce to what in their estimation was just a cosmetic appearance and they clearly translated that belief into a running action. Unlike other party stalwarts, Alan was denied accreditation by the top hierarchy of the NPP to get access to the Supreme Court on the ruling day. Alan and his entourage that included then campaign strategist and current General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, were among those barricaded from entering the Supreme Court because they did not have accreditation. It took extra efforts on the part of Mr. Agyepong to seek clearance from the Judicial Secretary for Alan and his group to get access to the Supreme Court building. Yet the Alan group does not seem to be too perturbed by what seemed an orchestration and conspiracy by Akufo-Addo and some key elements within the NPP to get Alan out of the NPP primaries even before the nomination day. �For us we are only watching. Akufo-Addo should know that in a Ghanaian election, every vote counts because 50% plus one vote is guarantee for one to assume the highest office of the land,� pro-Alan supporters argue, adding that �maybe Akufo-Addo has forgotten so soon what happened to him in the Ashanti region when he failed to secure a first round victory in the 2008 election. Many analysts believe Akufo-Addo failed to secure a first round victory because people of the Ashanti region failed to vote for him during the first round of the 2008 presidential elections. His chances in that election was blighted by his inability to beat his main challenger Prof. Mills who later went on to exploit the band-wagon effect to beat Akufo-Addo in the second round of the 2008 presidential election.