Will Ghanaians be bought with drug money?
During NPP’s primaries that nominated Nana Akufo-Addo as presidential candidate in the year 2007, a lot of Ghanaians, including some top NPP members complained about the amount of money some of the party’s candidates were splashing, and using in buying the conscience of the party’s delegates to vote for them. People were worried because they did not know the source of the huge amount of money that was displayed by many of the candidates. People could not imagine how the candidates, who had shied away from contesting national and party elective positions a few years back unless they were enticed with monetary incentives, could raise the amount of money they commandeered during their primaries. (This is not Dela’s deduction; a former NPP chairman, Mr. Odoi Sykes was the one who said this, and it was published widely in the Ghanaian media).
During that period, Nana Akufo-Addo’s present communication director was one of the candidates in the primary. His name is Arthur Kennedy. Dr. Arthur Kennedy and a few of his stalwarts also complained bitterly about the amount of money his colleagues were spending in the race. He wondered where his colleagues found the money from. Dr. Kennedy warned the party’s delegates and Ghanaians that if we did not “take care” someday in the near future someone might buy the whole Ghana with drug money. He therefore hoped Ghanaians would rise above being bought by drug money and instead vote with their conscience. I did not make this up. Check out below how Dr. Arthur Kennedy’s comments were captured by the Chronicle Newspaper and he has not denied it. "Dr Kwabena Arthur Kennedy also cautioned NPP delegates who would be voting to elect their presidential candidate to be mindful of some of the aspirants who have been going round splashing money on them because the source of the money could be a questionable one.
He regretted that people are only interested in the money being displayed by these aspirants without bothering to find out the source the money was raised from. If we do not take our time, one cocaine dealer would just take his money and buy this country and put our lives in danger, he said. He therefore advised the delegates to vote according to their conscience to elect the right leader who would be capable of leading the country." NOW, LEST FAST FORWARD to the real campaign season. All decent and “good reasoning” Ghanaians have noticed conspicuously that there is just too much money being spent from Nana Akufo-Addo’s camp. You would see it as soon as you enter Accra. Recently, at a United Nations function somewhere when it was reported that Ghana had become a drug hub in the sub-region, a researcher at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre had complained that there might be drug money in Ghana’s elections this year. This author, BISHOP Dela, is not making this up. Read it for yourself below:
"Kwesi Aning, head of research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said the "very fabric" of Ghanaian society was under threat. Mr Aning said he was alarmed at the amount of money being splashed around in Ghana ahead of presidential elections on 7 December. ‘Some of these guys were my mates in school and they were not too successful, and they've been in politics for less than 10 years’ he told the BBC. ‘You don't make that kind of money in 10 years.’"
ALRIGHT, NOW, it is reported that one Mr. Larry Gibson from the United States is in Ghana as a political consultant for Nana Akufo-Addo. I want Mr. Gibson to answer some questions for Ghanaians before he works in recommending someone for us as President. First of all, I want to ask him if it is not true that in the recent U.S. elections, when President-elect Barack Obama had been accused that he used illicit drugs, he personally addressed the issue by saying it was true that he had used such drugs in the past but when he had realized that it was not good, he stopped? Also, did John McCain not personally address issues about his alleged extra-marital affair? I would be glad if Mr. Gibson would answer these questions and urge Ghanaians to also be interested in these matters and do away with fear and mediocrity.
I also want to inform Mr. Gibson that some of us, Ghanaians, are very interested in everything that is happening in our country and we are following all his activities and the comments he is making in relation to our elections. I am glad that he made the following comments:
“The voters understand that they are electing a person more than they are electing a program. That’s universal. . . . Far more important is the assessment of what type of person this is, . . . Policies are important, but for elections people want a sense of the person, . . . the more successful candidates are not necessarily those with the most popular policies. Rather, winning politicians are those who relate on a personal level with the electorate." – Mr. Larry Gibson.
From the above comments of Mr. Gibson, would he not advise Ghanaians to try and know each of the candidates better before casting ballots for them? Would he not advise Ghanaians that if any negative rumors or allegations fly about any of the candidates, we must be interested in knowing the truth before we repose our confidence in such candidates? NOW, let me tell Mr. Gibson a little about the candidate he is working for. From the time Nana Akufo-Addo has entered the race to become the President of Ghana, right from his party’s primary period certain dangerous allegations have been made against him. It was alleged on national radio that:
• Nana Akufo-Addo deals in narcotics drugs
• Nana Akufo-Addo accepts campaign contribution from drug dealers
• Nana Akufo-Addo personally uses narcotics drugs
• Nana Akufo-Addo, when he was Ghana’s Attorney General, refused to prosecute 3 women from his party that were caught attempting to traffic narcotics drugs
• Nana Akufo-Addo, when he was Ghana’s Attorney General, discontinued the prosecution of a drug pusher
• Nana Akufo-Addo, when he was Ghana’s Attorney General, released seized assets from drug profits to his brother-in-law.
As I write today, Nana Akufo-Addo has maintained dead silence on these allegations. He operates through lawyers and surrogates who are quick to intimidate Ghanaians that lawsuit may be filed against anyone who is pushing to have answers to these questions. His fanatics are eve ready to insult anyone who is genuinely interested in knowing answers to these questions. They would call you all kinds of names and insult you and your family. They would make excuses that these rumors do not have merit, or their sources are not credible, or are stupid. They would say you are assassinating the character of their candidate etc. etc. So, the question for you, Mr. Larry Gibson, is if Ghana were your country, and you are a political strategist for a presidential candidate, would you advise him to dodge all of these important allegations and deny voters the truth?
Mr. Gibson, this is the man you are working for and recommending for Ghanaians to elect as President. One strong supporter of his said the following about him: “The issue then is squarely whether the NPP or the country can afford a President who is perceived as arrogant and who promotes his potence in the Castle, or wherever the brand new $75M India-built Presidential mansion will be located." – Kwaku Azar
OVER TO YOU, MR. LARRY GIBSON, THE U.S. CONSULTANT OF NANA AKUFO-ADDO. Ghanaians are waiting to hear from you on the issues raised.
Next, we shall address the recent issue when the chairman of Ghana’s media commission called on lawyers to rise and defend the judiciary when others criticize the decisions of the courts. The man said it was wrong to describe decisions of the courts in very strong language and still go back to the same courts for redress of the issues. I have serious problems with this kind of thinking. These people want us to remain backward. The judiciary and any other institutions must be criticized freely and strongly if anyone feels to do so. That must not end in victimization whenever critics make application to the courts. LET’S RISE, GHANAIANS.
Dela BISHOP
