The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho has in an interview on Citi FM given hint on why Nana Akuffo Addo was purportedly denied recognition at the just ended Oguaa Afetu Afahye over the weekend.
The Central Regional secretariat of the New Patriotic Party has accused organizers of this year’s Oguaa Fetu Afahye for allegedly sidelining Nana Akufo Addo during the durbar held on Saturday, September 4, 2010.
A former Minister of the Interior under the erstwhile NPP administration, Kwamena Bartels, in an interview with Citi FM accused presidential aide, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye of preventing the NPP’s flagbearer and his entourage from greeting the government dignitaries, and the Paramount Chief (Omanhene) of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, on the account that President Mills was on his way to the durbar grounds.
He alleged that when the President eventually arrived, both he and the Omanhene of Cape Coast failed to acknowledge Nana Addo. Kwamena Bartels made the point that he suspected Nana Addo was prevented from being an “active participant” in the celebrations due to the massive support and cheers he received from citizens of Cape Coast.
This comment, Koku Anyidoho believes exposes the original intent of Nana Addo and his entourage.
“Listening to Mr. Bartels, obviously, they entered the durbar ground with the intention of turning a traditional festival into a political rally event. By every logical stretch of the imagination, Kwamena Bartels has just told the whole world what he and Nana Akuffo Addo and co was intending to do. He said he was prevented from being active participants, how active did he want to be? That was what was going to happen, to take the whole programme into a political rally.”
Koku Anyidoho explained that the president did not find it necessary to go round and share pleasantries with Nana Addo and everybody else because he had already been delayed by the Chiefs and the Asafo companies.
“No matter how much the president sticks to his time, he cannot come to the durbar ground before the chief and the Asafo companies. The President was delayed by the Chiefs and the Asafo Companies… That is why the president himself, not wanting to delay the programme any further decided that, ‘I am not going to go round and shake everybody.’
“Nobody will share the spot light with the president, nobody will do that.” He said
