Mills Breaks Into Cold Sweat

...Kwesi Botchwey arrives with thunder

It was the most blatant falsehood peddled by the National Democratic Congress national women organizer against the frontline aspirant of the Convention People?s Party (CPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Ndoum which was immediately deflated by him on air - which the CPP presidential candidate was seeking to join them in earlier times.

As Miss Ama Benyiwa Doe carried on with her falsehood on Peace FM, the host of the station put Dr. Ndoum on air and he immediately denied the persistent assertion, ?Auntie Benyiwa Doe herself knows that this is not true?.Is it not true at all?. Shamed faced Benyiwa Doe still stuck to her story line, but by this time all panelists knew that this lie simply will not stick. Its desperation time in the camp of the NDC as the most exciting resurgence ever to hit the party goes into execution mode with a new generation of leaders led by business tycoon Ladi Nylander, TV Africa owner Ekow Ansah, veteran Mike Eghan, and senior University lecturer, Mr. Ivor Greenstreet have taken the country by storm with a tail speed generated by Kwesi Ndoum picking up speed like a cyclone racing across the parapet. ?We are not a third force; we are in this race to win?.

With a clutch of newspapers mastering in lies and falsehood targeted against NPP sympathizers and personalities who criticize the party?s flagbearer Professor Mills, these newspapers simultaneously pick on the offender and subject the person to the most vile abuse and hatchet job. Now an action commenced by Kofi Coomson, an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry and publisher, against two of the newspapers, The Ghanaian Lens and another, is picking up in Accra and has the spokesman of the NDC leader as one of its defendants. Mr. Koku Anyidoho, formerly a banker with the Alex Ashiagbor and Freddy Ashiagbor owned Metropolitan and Allied Bank, is the official spokesman of Professor Atta Mills, an associate professor of law.

The Bank was formerly a holding place of several Government securities when the NDC was in power, and hit a rough patch when there was a change in Government, hastening a marriage with Malaysian interest and money. The action was commenced last year by Sunyani- Accra based firm of lawyers led by Mr. Obiri Boahen, a Minister of state at the ministry of Interior. Mr. Anyidoho is also the son of NDC strongman, Brigadier-General Anyidoho, commander of the Northern sector of the Ghana armed Forces in 2000, who consorted closely with the NDC and raised hackles about his conduct. Not unexpectedly he and his colleague Brigadier Smith did not remain in the army after the NPP took over the reins of power. There was talk of making them ambassadors by the Kufuor administration. He was also dropped from the board of Ghana Telecom by the Rawlings administration under controversial circumstances.

Now his son Koku Anyidoho, has taken up the pen as a bitter person, carrying a grudge, polluting the air with unmitigated bile in the Lens newspaper where he doubles as a writer and signs as the ?sports editor?, a convenient alibi. It is widely known that Koku Anyidoho travels round the country with Mills and sends his pieces to these newspapers in which he maintains an interest. ?There is no way that Mills will say he does not know that Koku is writing these pieces, because they often carry photographs which promote candidate Mills,? argues Kofi Coomson. It is within his power to stop these newspapers, the Ghanaian lens and all the papers that toe his line but he pretends that he does not know. The same double standard was what he used when Sellasie Djentuh was bundled off to the castle and shaved with broken bottles, yet he claimed a perfect alibi- he did not see anything.

In an interview Kofi revealed that two of his lieutenants accused him of writing an article which sought to put the NDC in a bad light about their chances in 2008. They came to the office and met the publisher and presented a scathing rejoinder, which was based on the assumption that Coomson was the author.

They were so convinced about their beliefs that nothing could convince them as they thought the style mimicked Kofi?s style. The fact that young journalist of today write better than Kofi Coomson would not convince them until Mr. Quarmayne and Kofi, who work on Mills media were taken to the computer of the author who supplied his password to the publisher because he was out, and they themselves saw for themselves the article in its stages right in the word processor of the author, George Kyei Frimpong. Then they apologized and later presented a revised rejoinder, which was subsequently published.

It is within Mills? power to cleanse the air of lies and falsehood in these tabloids and sustain a clean and fresh environment free of insults and lies, and he remains the weakest link in the insult free campaign that Nana Akufo Addo and Kwesi Nduom have both pledged to maintain in this years? election. Mills is guilty of wilful knowledge of Anyidoho?s defamatory pieces, charges Coomson. But it is unlikely to stop as the auguries of CPP lending the NDC a hand in the forthcoming elections as the NDC made sure the CPP dies and it derives its lifeblood from the carcass. First NDC strongman is Messrs. Kojo Tsikata and later his friend the late Kojo Botsio conspired to murder the CPP and feed its flesh to the NDC.

But with the renaissance in the CPP, and candidate Ndoum?s avowed proclamation that he is definitely not given to any alliance with any party, the NDC knows that it is definitely out of any political marriage which this year?s election may throw up because Ndoum has been at the receiving end of the pro-Mills newspapers, hatchet job several times. CPP?s resurgence will imply NDC?s gradual attrition; its growth is in inverse proportion to NDC?s decline. And they know it. But the worse is yet to come. The galloping Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) which is holding its congress in March will definitely suck the NDC pretty badly as the party was formed on the back of the NDC, and has a more fearful implication to the NDC?s bottom line of votes.

On Saturday, Professor Botchwey held one of his parties and signalled to all comers - Nana Akufo Addo, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and co., that he had arrived. With his plans about to unfurl, beads of perspiration began to develop on the temple of Mills, as the nightmare of Kwesi Botchwey?s entre into the Presidential race, moved past the rumour stage into ominous reality for Mills and a development of the democratic ethos for Ghana - Tufts University?s tenured professor had arrived for political combat. In the event that Professor Kwesi Botchwey emerges as the party?s flagbearer at the end of March, it bodes very, very badly for the NDC. Both the founder Dr. Obed Asamoah, and the NDC?s most respected Minister (Finance) for nearly ten years, (Botchwey) are both from the NDC! The damage and the extent of people voting with their feet from the exit gates of the NDC are incalculable.

No wonder Mills is waking from his slumber with a cold sweat! He has to. The equation will feature NPP, the reigning champion, PNC?s Mahama who has equalled Mills record of being a serial presidential candidate, and a serial loser, CPP?s Papa Kwesi Ndoum, the fresh kid on the block, and almost certainly Professor Botchwey.