We'll throw shoes at Kufour if he attends Mahama's inauguration - NPP supporters

Some irate supporters of the opposition new patriotic party (NPP) in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi have vowed to subject former president Kufuor to bad treatments if he attends the inaugural ceremony of president-elect John Dramani Mahama.

According to them, attending the ceremony by the ex-president will mean a contradiction to the party’s petition at the Supreme Court.


The opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) on Wednesday announced the party will not participate in the ceremony and cautioned supporters against attending.


Meanwhile, the NPP has petitioned the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the declaration of president Mahama as president-elect by the Electoral Commission due to an alleged election irregularities.


However, former President Kufuor who is a member of the NPP said he will attend the ceremony in his capacity as the former President of the country but the party supporters disagreed.


Speaking on Asempa Fm’s Ekosii-Sen on Thursday, a staunch supporter and a known serial caller of the party, Kofi Dubai expressed the dismay of the supporters over the decision of the Mr. Kufuor to attend the boycotted state event.


Kofi Dubai asserted that the party supporters have vowed to throw shoes at the former president anytime he visits the Ashanti region if he attended the ceremony.

He said their action would be akin to what an Iraqi journalist did to ex-American president George Bush. He explained that by attending the event, Mr Kufuor has disrespected the party hierarchy.


“The whole party machinery has decided not to attend the ceremony so why is president Kufuor trying to go. We all helped him win the 2000 and 2004 general elections so if he thinks he can do anything so be it, but we in Kumasi will never accept it,” he added.


He told host of the show, Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong (KABA) that the decision of the ex-president to attend the ceremony has been very topical among the party supporters in the region.


To the staunch NPP supporter, if the former president does not want the party to collapse in the region, then he should rescind his decision because they have decided not to support the party again if Mr. Kufuor attends the ceremony.


“Kufuor has been part of our court processes so I don’t see why he should attend the ceremony the whole party has boycotted. I am on my knees pleading with Kufuor not to attend the ceremony because that will collapse the party in the Ashanti region. If Kufuor refused to listen to our cry and attend, we will help collapse the party in the region”.


Kofi Dubai said on behalf of his fellow supporters, he is urging the Young Patriot (party’s youth wing) who has vowed to stop the former president from attending the ceremony to do so. “We are urging the Young Patriots to do everything within their power to stop the former president. If even they would have to deflate his tyres to prevent him from attending the ceremony, we fully support it. Why is Kufuor destroying and disturbing our party?"