Minority Condemns President's Trip To Togo

The Minority NDC says it is disappointed by President Kufuor’s trip to Togo for the induction of President Gnassingbe Eyadema for a third term in office. Presidential staffers have declined to comment on reasons for the President’s trip to Lome where the induction ceremony is currently underway. But it is believed he is attending the ceremony in the capacity as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, which includes Togo.

The Minority’s Director on International Relations, Kofi Attoh told JOY FM that President Kufuor’s trip to Togo will only give credence to the results of the recent controversial elections in Togo, which the opposition parties are contesting.

''We are disappointed because this is a Head of State who changed the constitution to suit himself. We drew attention to it, we called on our President to speak to him, so that there will be no problem in Togo but nobody bothered. Now there was an election and there is some amount of confusion. Two candidates have already declared themselves Presidents because they are disputing the results and we have parked a whole plane full of people to go and swear in this same person. We are not setting a good example of democracy'', he noted.

Mr. Attoh said instead of going to witness the ceremony President Kufuor ought to have invited Africa’s longest serving leader to Accra and advised him on the potential fall outs of his attempt to perpetuate his rule in the neighbouring country.

''Is he going as ECOWAS Chairman or as a friend of President Eyadema… So are we setting any good example or because we are ECOWAS Chairman we have to go everywhere? We don’t buy that argument. You can show the way by not going there but asking him to respect the Togolese people who want another person to be President. The way the constitution is now, it is as if President Eyadema can be there for life''.

President Kufuor was accompanied by ECOWAS executive secretary Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas. Five other heads of state including Mathew Kereku of Benin, Ahmadou Toure of Mali and Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivory Coast are also attending the ceremony. Top Liberian officials who were in Ghana brokering a peace deal for their war-ravaged country also accompanied President Kufuor to Lome.