Chronicle to the aid of Rawlings

President Rawlings has never hidden the fact that he has a frostly relationship with the CHRONICLE but last week, the Head of State had to thank the paper for saving him from a potentially explosive and embarrassing situation.

The paper revealed an intricate plot hatched by some of the President’s own men to involve him in a dangerous chieftaincy dispute in Anloga, the traditional capital of the Anlos. The plan to install a new Awoamefia of Anlo in the Volta Region has however been scuttled by the news report.

The story titled “Akafia, Awoonor & Co. declare war on Anlo State invoke ancient war ritual” (Chronicle Vol.1, No 2 Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, Chronicle) reported how Presidential Aide Professor Kofi Awoonor and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Ben Akafia with others have planned to install one Patrick Agboba as the new chief to succeed late Togbui Adeladza.

Sources told Chronicle that after a meeting held in Togbui Kporku, Ghana’s Ambassador to Japan’s residence in Alakple last week by the traditional rulers in the paramouncy, it was agreed that a ‘farewell durbar’ must be held for President Jerry Rawlings in Anloga next week.

The plan, according to the source, was that the pro-Agboba faction was to use the heavy security presence that will be in place in the traditional capital to install Agboba in defiance of a court injunction.

However, when Foreign Minister James Gbeho and Togbui Nyaho Tamakloe, Miafiaga of Anlo went to President Rawlings to inform him of the farewell durbar he produced a copy of Chronicle which carried the story and asked them for an explanation.

The two gentlemen looked at each other askance, short of words. Suddenly the President produced a press statement issued by one of the factions in the chieftaincy dispute and asked for an explanation. Unable to explain the story, President Rawlings then asked Mr. Gbeho and Togbui Tamakloe to come along with Professor Awoonor and Gen. Akafia for a proper briefing”, the source said.

According to our source, the copy of the Chronicle was given to President Rawlings by his wife Nana Konadu who was alarmed by the plans to involve the husband in a chieftaincy dispute in Anlo, where the President’s mother hails from. According to the scuttled plan, chiefs in the Anlo Traditional Area were to be taken on a tour of the Keta Sea Defence Wall site and the quarry where boulders are to be transported from for the project to be followed by a lunch.

With the chiefs gathered in Anloga and its environs and fully briefed about the farewell durbar, some of the chiefs who are not privy to the plot would have been surprised by the outdooring and installation of Patrick Agboba, a retired police commissioner as the Awoamefia of Anlo.

At the same meeting, the chiefs resolved to support and actively campaign for Mr. Gbeho’s bid to replace Sq.Ldr. Sowu as the MP. This resolution was sealed with certain traditional religious rites to even spiritually kill the incumbent Sq.Ldr. Clend Sowu’s bid to return to Parliament for the third time does not succeed.

Efforts to get Professor Awoonor on Friday proved unsuccessful. After several enquiries to the Castle Office, the Chronicle was told the Presidential Staffer would not be in the whole day.