Chairman Adams shouldn’t have died this way

I got to know Chairman Adams Mahama through the former Vice President of Ghana, Late Aliu Mahama who was my Political Godfather. He introduced Adams to me one day at the seat of government as “one of our brothers”. He spoke very well of Adams and also introduced me to Adams as one of his most committed and reliable boys.

We became friends from that moment. Each time we met Adams was always full of kind words for the late Aliu Mahama. I remember one day he told me that whatever and whoever he has become now was as a result of Aliu Mahama and urged me to continue with my dedication and loyalty to the Old man.

In 2011, I had a meeting with the late Aliu Mahama and now late Chairman Adams on how we were to generate some resources to support some Northern Parliamentary Candidates. I was a Parliamentary Candidate myself so my input in that meeting was key. After the meeting, Adams said he was to donate some motorbikes to some Parliamentary Candidates in the Northern Region. He fulfilled that promise by donating over 50 motor bikes to the party in the North.

We met in 2012 at the AU Village in Accra. We spoke of how to make the party strong up North and of the need for us to support the committed ones to win elections at various levels of the party.

Aliu Mahama was in attendance at that meeting. It was at this meeting in 2012 that I personally suggested to Adams to go and contest for the Chairmanship of the NPP in the Upper East Region due his sociable and helpful nature.

“Akilu, but you know your brother is a businessman. Let me stay in my business and be supporting those of you who have deep political interest” he responded. I honestly didn’t argue with him at all when he explained further how politics was affecting his business.

I called him over an issue one day and he told me he would now contest the Upper East Regional Chairmanship slot of the NPP because many people had expressed confidence in him and he couldn’t afford to let them down. I assured him of my support and when he went into the elections, he won. We were all happy especially when he won at a time the late Aliu Mahama had died. We saw him as a huge rallying point to continue to keep the legacy of the late Aliu Mahama alive. Adams was a very reliable person. He was kind and also very religious.

We kept in touch and when Chairman Freddie Blay declared to contest his current position in the national office of our party, a colleague 2012 PC by name Kwasi Bonzoh of the Elembelle constituency invited me to join the campaign of Chairman Blay as coordinator for the Northern Sector.

I arranged a meeting at the Golden Tulip Hotel with Chairman Blay, Bonzoh, Chairman Adams and myself to seek for his support since he was in Accra. He was initially reluctant because according to him, he didn’t know him well enough but I managed to convince him.

Adams showed extreme loyalty to Chairman Blay and never once turned his back on him. They became closer and best of friends than me. No wonder Chairman Blay wept when he heard of the death of Chairman Adams.

The last time I spoke with Chairman Adams was the very day Kwabena and Afoko visited the Upper East region. He told me he didn’t personally get involved in anything and that whatever happened was more of a protest than an attack.

He later publicly apologised for what had happened in his region and later wrote a letter stating of the urgent need for elected officers of the party to work together in unity from National to the polling station level. Maybe this was a revelation to the man.

To me the only way we can glorify the memory of Chairman Adams is for his admonition before he died to be followed. All officers of the party must work together in unity. The suspicion must give way in NPP. The Police must investigate thoroughly the circumstance under which a hardworking and committed party chairman was bathed with acid leading to his death.

Like the Leader and Flagbearer of the NPP said, The greatest tribute that can be paid in memory of the late Chairman Adams is for the NPP to work hard in unity to win election 2016. Do Rest in Perfect Peace, Chairman Adams Mahama.

By Akilu Sayibu, Tamale North

Email: Akisayi@yahoo.com