Friday, September 5, 2014
Folks, the heat
is already being turned on Akufo-Addo from within his own party. Dr. Dr. Kobina
Arthur Kennedy, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who is also
the former Communications Director for the NPP at Election 2008, is jumping on
him, making very serious allegations, indicting him, and virtually re-opening
the can of worms to dim Akufo-Addo’s light.
Dr. Kennedy
worked closely with Akufo-Addo at Election 2008 and later wrote the searing
account of why Akufo-Addo lost the elections (_Chasing the Elephant into the
Bush_). He wasn’t given any frontline role at Election 2012; and he seems to
have discovered ways of “slaughtering” Akufo-Addo. And as an Akufo-Addo aide
(Mustapha Hamid) put it the other day, Dr. Kennedy is on a mission to destroy
Akufo-Addo. Why should he do so?
Folks, his
latest challenge to Akufo-Addo raises very serious issues:
1. AKUFO-ADDO AS
A VIOLENT MAN
He has charged
one of the contenders for the flagbearership race, who he describes as an
“insurgent candidate,” to come out and expose Nana Akufo-Addo’s bad record on
violence.
To him, Alan
Kyerematen must devise a new strategy by questioning the rationale behind the
deafening silence of Nana Akufo-Addo on the numerous violent incidents that
have occurred in the party recently.
“… Ask why he
has kept quiet on the many violent activities of people believed to be his
supporters? Why is he quiet? Why did he say ‘all-die-be-die’ and why did he say
Atiwa? Put those questions to him and expose his record on violence,” he urged
on NEAT 100.9.
According to Dr.
Arthur Kennedy, posing these questions would bring to bear the stand of the
2008 and 2012 Presidential candidate of the NPP and how he has contributed to
violent situations over the years.
2. AKUFO-ADDO
NOT A UNIFIER
Dr. Arthur
Kennedy also questioned the two-time NPP Presidential Candidate's credentials
as a unifying and peace-loving leader.
“To win, if he
(Akufo-Addo) becomes the nominee, he needs a united party that has dealt with
corruption and violence and intimidation behind him. To get there, he has huge
mountains to climb... Ghanaians would quite properly wonder whether a leader
who is not inclusive in his party and will not forthrightly condemn violence or
talk of it in his party can unite Ghana and guarantee peace as President,” he
said.
3. AKUFO-ADDO
HASN’T LEARNT ANY LESSON FROM HIS ELECTORAL LOSSES
To him, Nana
Addo has not learnt from the mistakes that led to his defeat in the 2008 and
2012 presidential elections and for that matter, Alan Kyerematen, who is the
“insurgent candidate” in this race must come out strongly in exposing the
former NPP leader’s bad reputation concerning violence.(Source:http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=324538)
MY COMMENTS
The persistent
jumping on Akufo-Addo by Dr. Kennedy these days is setting the stage for something
that will hurt Akufo-Addo again. The issues are serious enough to provoke more
than the man can swallow. Those not well disposed toward him will definitely
fall on them to damage him again. The fact is that Dr. Kennedy is fanning the
fire that has persistently been burning in Akufo-Addo’s political edifice.
He has ever
worked closely with Akufo-Addo and should know more to reveal; but why is he
behaving like a wounded tiger at this time, especially after Akufo-Addo had
emerged strongly from the just-ended super delegates' congress as a likely
Presidential candidate for the NPP?
Is Dr. Kennedy
“slaughtering” Akufo-Addo to dim his chances at the October 18 delegates’
congress? Is he a hurt supporter of Kyerematen who is doing all he can to gore
Akufo-Addo out of the way?
Wow!! I can’t
believe that Dr. Kennedy is even faulting Akufo-Addo over his “All-die-be-die”
clarion call at this time when he could have added his voice to ours before
Election 2012 on that score. Gradually, the insiders will tell us what we need
to know about Akufo-Addo to reinforce whatever poor opinions we may have about
him.
As a friend has put it in Akufo-Addo’s defence, "...
One thing I admire about Nana is he is really an independent man; he doesn't
even care/react when his name is being dragged in the mud; no interview, no
re-rejoinders; nothing but pure, complete silence!!..."
I am quick to respond to this stance. You admire somebody
like that who turns himself into an ostrich when serious and damaging issues
about him are raised in the public domain to damage his political interests?
Somebody like that who either chooses to hide behind others (as Nana Bediatuo
and Co. did for him regarding allegations of profuse drug use?) or to remain
adamantly silent and pretend to have developed a tough skin? Or to put his
shock-absorbers into over-drive and soak up the pressure, suffering silently
when hit hard? Or to hide behind Dr. Bawumia at the election petition hearing
because he cannot stand scrutiny?
Such an attitude is neither admirable nor worthy of
praise. He needs to "man up" and face his accusers by counteracting
their noise with facts. Only then can he claw back lost credibility. Look, Bill
Clinton, Obama, and our own Jerry Rawlings didn't have to remain silent or hide
behind others when allegations of "wee smoking" were being made about
them. (Obama's might be cigarette smoking, though). They owned up and explained
circumstances, which virtually disarmed the noise makers. Unless Akufo-Addo has
something to hide, he should "man up" too.
Don't tell me that he doesn't have time to waste on such
issues or people. Eventually, those issues end up derailing him; so, why not
confront them once-and-for-all to clean his own slate? It is not always true that silence is golden. For
Akufo-Addo, silence does more harm than good, which he should have known long
before now.
If he is quick to respond to
issues concerning how the Mahama-led administration is managing the affairs of
state, why can't he do same to what damages his own reputation? This time,
silence will mean either consent or assent!!
Dr. Kennedy's
strong language against Akufo-Addo speaks volumes. Indeed, “things are really
knocking things” at this stage!!
I shall return…
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