Re-Kufour: I’m Not Responsible For Akufo-Addo’s Loss

On 1st September, 2009, I read the above story on myjoyonline. And I think the original source of the story was from the Daily Guide newspaper. I think ex-president Kufour made that statement during an interview on Kweku-One-One on TV3.

Having read the story I was honestly very reluctant to comment on it. I however started getting headache thinking about what the ex-president said. It was like some questions were jumping on my mind demanding answers so I finally reneged on my initial promise not to comment on the statement of the ex-president.

You see, nobody is saying that, Mr Kufour was the only person who was responsible for the defeat of Nana Addo and by extension the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2008 elections. It will be highly unfair to place all the blames on ex-president Kufour. It will also be unfair to say that, he did not contribute to the defeat of the NPP in the last elections.

What people said and are still saying is that, certain policies, programmes, and activities of the ex-president in his last days in office were as if he was effectively campaigning for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Infact some of the things he did in his last days in office were politically advantageous to the NDC more than they were to the NPP. I will try to enumerate of those policies, programmes and activities here.

Firstly, it was totally out of place for ex-president Kufour to have given the national award he granted to Professor Mills in an election year. It was as if the ex-president was saying to Ghanaians ‘Between Nana Addo and Professor Mills vote for Mills he is a good man and has done a lot for mother Ghana don’t you see that I am even awarding him’.

Even though Mills did not finally take the award, because it was the collective decision of his party; the NDC, not to accept that award its political advantage to the NDC was colossal. It must be stated that, the first list of awardees that was released even precluded Nana Addo the presidential candidate of his own party. It was amidst protestations that Nana Addo’s name was finally included on the list. The question to ask is that, why was professor Mills the NDC candidate then was not given any award in the eight years Mr Kufour ruled the country but only slated for an award during the heat of the campaign?

The second issue was why the ex-president awarded to himself, the highest award of the land only when he was left with weeks to get out of office. It must be stated that, his award was the most costly among all the awards. That singular act was a clear case of dictatorship only reminiscence to the Iddi Amin of Uganda days. The question to ask here is that, doesn’t Mr Kufour think that, that shower of awards to himself just weeks to a major election impacted on the fortunes of his party?

Another issue was the sale of about 70percent shares of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone UK in an election year. We all were witnesses to the furore that the sales generated in the country and how the NDC cashed so very much on it. The question to ask here is that, why was the ex-president bent on selling this in an election year with all the negativities it had on the fortunes of the NPP in the election? Couldn’t it have been done much earlier or left for the next government to decide? I don’t think Mr Kufour will say this decision to sell Ghana Telecom in an election year did not affect his party.

What also could not be understood was the insistence of Mr Kufour to buy two presidential jets he was never going to use anyway in an election year. Why was he bent on buying the Jets when even it was very clear that, that decision was not popular. It must be explained that, Ghanaians would have wished that, any money for those Jets could have being used on the provision of other social amenities to the people which could have being of very direct benefit to them. Hope Mr Kufour is aware of the damage this decision caused his party.

The building of the presidential palace in an election year was seen by many as a misplaced priority considering the huge amount involved. It was not as if Ghana had no place to house its presidents so why was the ex-president so committed to building it when he was not the one to use it anyways? The opinion of many was that that money could have been used to build more schools, construct more roads, hospitals, dams, provide electricity to rural areas and even used as micro-credit to farmers and small scale business operators. No wonder it was used hugely against the NPP in the election.

What Mr Kufour did too which counted much against his party was his marathon and endless journeys. When even the election campaigns went to top gear Mr Kufour was still at Kotoka ready to make the next journey. The financial cost of those journeys as against what the money could have done for mother Ghana helped to nail the NPP especially as it was in an election year and was used by the NDC widely against the NPP. Is it not true Mr Kufour?

Aside the economic aspects of the journeys which were used against the NPP, Mr Kufour did not give his very much to the campaign trail so quickly and when he did at all, it was too late to have any impact on the chances of the NPP.

Apart from dancing the ‘Nana is a winner’ song by Daddy lumba as well as the Kangaroo dance Mr Kufour did not bring any excitement to the campaign of Nana Addo in the elections of 2008.

Another issue that Mr Kufour did that affected the fortunes of the NPP was his allege setting up of the Alan Kyeremanteng’s camp in the NPP. Infact ex-president Kufour did more to fuel that perception than he did to dispel it when it was mounting higher and higher.

That was why I was not enthused at all when he made that unpopular statement to the effect that he had no faction at the NPP conference recently. It was useless and impactless making that statement there.

The best time he was expected to make that statement was when the issue of he having a faction was at its peak and was affecting his party left, right, centre, backwards and forward.

The questions to asked are as follows, why were Districts, Municipal, and Metropolitan chief executives coerced to campaign for Alan?

Why were some Districts, Municipal, and Metropolitan chief executives given the sacked just three months to elections?

My advice to ex-president Kufour is that, your ‘I have not done this or have no that’ is rather exposing you. Just know that, people won’t keep quite if they have responses to whatever you say or do.

Mr Kufour when it is said that, you were partially responsible for the defeat of Nana Addo and for that matter the NPP in the last elections, it is because of the above reasons. Hope you now understand and will therefore stop the marathon denials.

AKILU SAYIBU, UK. Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk