Akufo-Addo saved lives, he deserves praise - Bature

As with all humans, and regardless of what one considers about him, the present outpouring of compliments on the failed 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, should be seen as well-earned and deservingly too, according to political analyst and Managing Editor of The Al-Hajj.

Since August 29th, people who matter in the Ghanaian society and even from overseas have been trooping to the residence of Nana Akufo-Addo to congratulate him for accepting the verdict of the Supreme Court, which affirmed the declaration of John Mahama as President in the 2012 December 7 and 8 elections by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.


However, some people, especially, from the ruling party see no moral in some religious leaders, civil society organizations and failed presidential candidates in the 2012 elections, visiting Nana Akufo-Addo’s house to heap praise on him for committing to peace by accepting the verdict.


Whiles Nana Akufo-Addo is seen by some as a villain and a troublemaker following his previous belligerent posturing and irresponsible and reckless statements like “all-die-be-die”, “Yen Akanfuor” and “win-at-all-cost” which were roundly and justifiably condemned, others say the twice defeated opposition flag bearer has no luxury of a legal alternative, and therefore must not be indulged.


But, the out-spoken Managing Editor of The Al-Hajj newspaper disagrees; advising President Mahama to whip in line members of the National Democratic Congress he referred to as “young hawks” who are invariably demonstrating naivety by objecting to the idea by some respected members of society to eulogize Nana Akufo-Addo for his maturity and statesmanlike conduct.


Alhaji Bature told this paper that: “it is highly important for the president to call his party folks to order on the matter since he, and his administration would ultimately be held responsible in case of a backlash from such reckless and undeveloped pretense”.

He said, unknown to the NDC “young hawks” who might think they are running down Nana Akufo-Addo by making such disparaging comments; they are indeed, insulting the intelligence of the respected and highly venerated members of society who troop to the twice defeated presidential candidate’s residence.


“Akufo-Addo did not invite anybody to his house to come and praise him…in any case, the international community have also congratulated him for making the country that singular honor by accepting the verdict…if the president does not call the young hawks in his party to order and they continue with this, thinking they are running down Akufo-Addo; what in actual sense they may be doing is that, they are insulting the intelligence of the respected men and women calling on Akufo-Addo,” he added.


According to him, the NPP’s 2012 presidential candidate might have made those irresponsible comments in the past, but his courageous and patriotic declaration on August 29 accepting the verdict of the Supreme Court, though he lost, took care of all the bellicose and thoughtless statements he might have made in the past.


Alhaji Bature said, because of the existing relative peace being enjoyed by the country, “some people today can have the luxury of shouting themselves hoarse on roof tops failing to recognize that, any different posturing by the opposition leader won’t have boded well for this nation, post August 29.”


He said, if Akufo-Addo had behaved differently such as it happened in Kenya and our Western neighboring Cote d’Ivoire during which, despite the presence of national armies and civil police, over 1000 and 3000 people lost their lives or were maimed respectively, with several thousand rendered homeless, Nana Akufo-Addo by that singular deed has indeed, preserved the lives of several innocent Ghanaians and saved the country from an otherwise, incalculable cost.

Prior to the August 29 ruling by the Supreme Court in the election petition engineered by three leading members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), there have been grave concerns as to whether Ghana would be spared the senseless violence that befell many African countries arising out of election disputes, even though the two protagonists, President John Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress and Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP both pledged to abide by the court’s judgment.


It wasn’t, therefore, strange to see people of all walks of life marching to the residence of the gone-by leader of the largest opposition party to pay him homage. However, some people, mostly hawks and uninformed members of the ruling government seems to have issues with this, not only against the former NPP flagbearer, but also with the motivations for the people paying him tribute.


But Alhaji Bature reminded such persons of the ‘legacies’ of some African leaders like Charles Taylor of Liberia and Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d’ Ivory.


“Look, Akufo-Addo could have chosen not to accept the judgment…it is his constitutional right to do so, whether it is proper for him to do so or not, that is up for posterity to judge; and that alone could have derailed all the gains we have made as a country…Akufo-Addo could have chosen to take the path of the Charles Taylor's, Laurent Gbagbo's, and we would have witnessed the case of Liberia and Sierra Leone or even Kenya in Ghana,” he noted.


According to him, the nice accolades being showered on the country for upholding democracy and the relative peace the country is enjoying after the election petition vastly is as a result of the former Abuakwa South Member of Parliament’s acceptance of the verdict, which he said has also quench the bellicose and belligerent fire simmering in some hawks in his party who were spoiling for violence after the Supreme Court judgment.

Sounding philosophical, Alhaji Bature threw a challenge to those judging the former NPP flagbearer today by his past deeds; “Aren’t we enjoined by the Holy Books not to judge people by their past, and more so, when these same good books tells us, ‘let he who is without blemish cast the first stone…’ those saying Akufo-Addo don’t deserve the praises are they saying they don’t have a past,” The Al-Hajj Managing Editor quizzed.


After the August 29 Supreme Court Judgment on the election petition challenging the legitimacy of President Mahama which he, Nana Akufo-Addo and two others acting as petitioners lost, the latter few minutes after the verdict made a public statement accepting the judgment and called on his followers to do same and not to do anything to endanger the security of the state.


This attracted applauds and commendation from several persons and organizations including the Peace Council of Ghana, Religious organization and President Mahama for doing the country the singular honor of upholding its much touted democratic credentials and peace.