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The Herald, has picked reports that Gabby Otchere-Darko, the powerful cousin of the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, is busily lacing his boots to run for Parliament on the ticket of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the 2024 polls.
He has been linked to one of the seats in the New Juaben Municipality in the Eastern Region.
Reports are that he has been seen renovating his late father’s house in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua.
His father, Dr Joseph Felix Boateng Otchere-Darko, also known as Barima Okyere Boateng, died in April 2021.
His funeral was one of the biggest held in recent years in the Koforidua township, with all who matter in the Akufo-Addo government, present.
Other reports say, the man who turns 56 in April this year, has been trying to dispel the rumour that he is interested in a parliamentary seat, but his efforts are yielding no results. He wants to leave the political stage with the exit of President Akufo-Addo and rest.
He feels he has made unnecessary enemies for himself as a result of partisan politics, and wants to take a back seat with the departure of the President, come January 2025. Even in his own NPP, he has been in tears as to how he is treated with disdain sometimes.
Gabby is qualified to run for seats in both the Greater Accra Region and the Eastern Region, where he had desperately pushed for the election of Kwadwo Boateng as Regional Chairman, but was surprised by Jeff Konadu in May last year.
In Accra, he is eligible for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency where he lives with his family.
However, in the Eastern Region, he has stakes in two constituencies. He is qualified to run for the Abuakwa South Constituency by virtue of his mother, the late Sophia Ofori-Atta with ties to Kyebi.
President Akufo-Addo, used to be Member of Parliament (MP) for that constituency until 2008, when he first vied for the presidency.
The Abuakwa seat is presently occupied by Lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea, who has been in the seat since 2008, and has obviously lost some numbers, but it doesn’t appear that Gabby, who is a cousin to the onetime Minister of Works and Housing, wants to sink his boat by ending his political career.
But many NPP insiders have strongly linked him to the seats in Koforidua; New Juaben North constituency being held by Kwasi Boateng Adjei and New Juaben South Constituency currently occupied by Michael Okyere Baafi.
The man, nicknamed “GOD”, according to the NPP insiders, have in recent times been seen in the constituency holding meetings upon meetings, and reports are rife in the constituency that he is preparing to be in Parliament come January 2025.
Though not holding any executive position in the Akufo-Addo government, Gabby has been one powerful individual in the country with his influence far bigger than his physique and stature.
He has been very instrumental in the appointments of many officials of his cousin’s government, including agency heads and ministers of state.
The National Security Coordinator, Edward Asomani, used to work with Gabby at the Danquah Institute, founded and once headed by him to champion free market policies.
At the NPP leadership level, another of his protégées, Dr Antoinette Tsibu-Darko, and currently the head of the Danquah Institute, is now a Deputy General Secretary of the NPP.
Richard Ahiagba, also onetime head of the Danquah Institute, is also now serving as the Director of Communications for the NPP.
Gabby, also nicknamed, the “Prime Minister”, has meanwhile been mentioned in many of the scandals which have plagued the Akufo-Addo administration.
He was cited in Agyapa Royalties Limited deal which was to collateralize the country’s mineral royalties for loans, the botched Power Distribution Services (PDS) Consortium deal in which the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) was give out to close family and friends of President Akufo-Addo as well as NPP financiers.
His private law firm African Legal Associates, has also been linked to many transactions, including the Agyapa Royalties, as well as some transactions at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
Although unsubstantiated, there are others claims that he has currently taken over the Tema Ports and running the show with some selected top CEPS officers, businessmen and clearing agents.
The allegation goes further that certain taxes particularly from mining companies which are supposed to go into state coffers are ending up in different places.
