In the matter of ‘Nana’s presidential curse’

In the matter of ‘Nana’s presidential curse’: he can never make it to the presidency

For close to six years now I have successfully held my fingers off any internet café keyboards to do what I am about doing. I equally clipped my mouth effectively over what I heard. However, due to the continuous theatrical political drama that is being staged by the New Patriotic Party (NPP); I now have the conviction that what I was told is true.

It is all about an alleged curse by former President John Agyekum Kuffour on Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo in his presidential ambition. Even though alleged, some scenarios revolving on it seems to be giving it credibility. And, fortunately, the information is coming from a confidant of highest personality of the party.

In the immediate post 2008 presidential election, a source from Kufour’s camp confided in me and what I was told really baffled me but was not surprising. According to the source the former president was allegedly not happy about the manner Nana Addo conducted his campaign. It was not about running a parallel campaign from the NPP office.

To the former president of the Republic of Ghana, he allegedly felt that in the run-up to the election, the country was being run by a dual presidency. According to the inner periphery revelation, ex-President Kufour was not comfortable with some demands which came from Nana Addo.

One of such alleged demands was the use of motor-cades for his presidential campaign routine at the time which the then President felt he was almost sharing his legitimate presidency with him. The other, allegedly, was the use of the Presidential jet for some of his travels to campaign.

What, however, that allegedly shattered the patience of the Towering Giant, was Nana’s visits to especially the three presidents of our neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, La Cote d’Voire and Togo. According to the insider, the former President allegedly found it difficult understanding the motive of the then candidate trying to establish bilateral relations with the neighbouring presidents when he, being the President of the republic is responsible for that assignment which to him he had carried himself well.

The insider alleged that in the former Presidents unhappiness about Nana’s attitude, said to this effect that if it is the Presidency that Nana is looking for – he should forget it because he has already “chopped” it with him (Kufour) and for that matter cannot get it again.

If, and if only this allegation is true – wont readers see this as a major CURSE?

Readers would recall that immediately after the 2008 elections, Nana Addo’s camp blamed his defeat on ex-President (Gentle Giant) John Agyekum Kufour. This is in spite of the resources that he generously released for his lavish campaign. His camp debunked the blame. It did not end there!

Post 2008 presidential election was not to end especially when it comes to suspicions. Former President Kufour’s alleged preference for John Allan (Cash) Kyeremateng deepened. Light brightened on both camps when a harmless profile book on Nana titled “NANA AKUFO-ADDO” and underneath it in italics “Life on the Road”, published by one Alex Akurgo, did the trick.

According to the Kufour’s camp revealer, the former Head of State saw the book as a material that was out to do image promotion for Nana and the suspicion was that Nana’s camp may have paid the author to write the book in a bid to elevate Nana over Allan. There was the urgent need to track the author who, incidentally was one of Kufour’s staffers on research and speech-writers, the insider revealed.

He further alleged that the young author was humiliated out of the then Presidency, and beyond that the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) was unleashed on him when he one got to his residence in Cantonments to see that his locks had been changed.

This development led to the man briefly fleeing the country. The Kufour’s side, therefore, felt that he may have done it for money or out of bitterness against Kufour who the informant said was not aware of the mistreatment meted out to the young man. I see this aspect as very absurd because the former President cannot say he was not aware.

According to him they managed to make contact with the guy who flatly denied ever taking money from anybody. The man said that is what he does for living and it is purely business where he identifies personalities in society he beliefs he can sell when he writes on them, stressing that he has done so for many statesmen including one he did on Presidents Kufour and Rawlings.

Despite the denial of taking money, Kufour and his confidants did not believe him and according to the Kufour insider a high profile Christian cleric was invited from Kumasi to elicit some sort of ‘confession’ from him but the gentleman maintained his position.

As this was going on in the Kufour’s camp, Nana’s camp got to know of what was happening. They also contacted the author to find out whether somebody may have paid him for the project on behalf of Nana, the insider revealed – alleging it was the man himself who told him about the Nana’s side of the book’s controversy because he could not fathom what was going on.

This is how deep the suspicion is within the two NPP stalwats and I am personally not surprised that the situation has degenerated to the level it finds itself. The continuous denials by both sides until recently that there is nothing that is dis-uniting them has always been a conscious effort at preventing the bad smell of a decomposing carcass.

The television camera captures, where Nana bows before ex-President Kufour and declares that he is a towering legacy of the Dankwah-Busia Tradition (which is true) and that he will stand on his achievements to win the 2016 elections is just to cover the behind the scenes hatred they have for themselves. The former Head of State has also made similar posturing as to how united they are when the cameras are before them.

Recently, and especially now that there has been open admission that there are indeed, deep cracks in the party which has resulted to the convening of some Christian clerics by the former President Kufour in a bid to repair the cracks could be a good move.

But all that has gone on will not help the NPP presidential candidate if the alleged ‘KUFOUR’s CURSE’ is not revoked. To me, therefore, whether the Voters Register is bloated or not bloated, new Voters Register or the old one – Nana Addo’s presidential ambition will be a mirage, because he has already tasted the presidency by sharing it with former President John Agyekum Kufour (JAK).

Camillus Maalneriba-Tia Sakzeesi