I listened to Dr Kwame Addo-Kufour, former Minister of Defense and brother of Ex-President Kufuor on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Ebia where he chided Hon. Hilda Addo, the Ashanti Regional spokesperson of Alan Kyerematen, saying she is a liar with the mindset to create confusion in the former President Kufuor’s family as well as the NPP fraternity. His problem is Hon. Hilda Addo has made claims that he [Addo Kufuor] supported Akufo-Addo against his own brother, former President Kufuor during the party's 1998 congress.
In his response, he claimed he was even responsible for mobilizing funds for his brother’s 2000 campaign in the Ashanti Region and even stood by his brother (President Kufuor's) side when ex-president Rawlings was at his barking worse.
It is obvious Dr. Kwame Addo Kufour is certainly being economical with the truth. Hilda Addo's claim was to the effect that he [Addo Kufuor] never supported Kufour prior to the 1998 congress in SUNYANI. She has not disputed his support for the NPP and the brother post 1998 Congress and run-up to Election 2000.
As for year 2000, Kufour was the candidate then and so all of the party was in support of his candidature. He had already won the primaries and was a presidential candidate for NPP so automatically every true NPP member would support him.
It is even recalled that in 1998, one of the campaign messages or arguments used against JAK was that he did not even enjoy the support of his own brother. Madam Hilda is talking about events leading up to 1998 internal congress, when Addo Kufour openly supported Nana Addo against his own brother Kufour so where from this Election 2000 counter-argument to support his rebuttal? It is obvious Dr. Addo-Kufour is embarrassed and ashamed that after a decade this would come haunting him hence the haste attempt to deny it without even responding to the actual claims.
Interestingly, in his haste attempt to respond, he even worsens his case and confirms Maa Hilda’s claims as he cites Dr. Donkor Fordjuor as a witness. Really? The noble Senior Patriot could have done himself a great deal of good if he had not responded at all. He shot himself in the foot and also exposed himself. Who doesn’t know the kind of machinations Dr Donkor-Fordjour employed to thwart the efforts and ambition of President Kufour to be the flag-bearer of our party when he [Dr Donkor-Fordjour] was the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP. Who doesn’t know of the open and public campaign with vilifications by Dr Donkor-Fordjour waged against the Ex-president when he [President Kufour] was an aspiring flag-bearer? We have not also forgotten of how he swore to vacate his position, as the Regional Chairman should the Ex-president be elected as the flag-bearer of the party. In the face of all these, President Kufour won and succeeded as the flag-bearer of the party. It is only normal and natural that after the debacle of their agenda against the former president and his brother, he would throw his support behind him as expected of all true patriots.
“…. If she is helping Alan, then she must preach the good things about him and not lie. She is bringing division in my family and she should be careful; if this is the kind of people Alan is working with, then he really does not have resourceful people in his team”
The above quote is from Dr Addo-Kufour, and sincerely I’m startled and surprised. Why should I? I could recall vividly when the immediate past General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John was the Campaign Manager of Dr Addo-Kufour who was one of the aspiring flag-bearers during the Legon contest in 2007. Mr. Owusu-Afriyie as his Campaign Manager and confidant publicly accused and chastised President Kufour for allegedly supporting Alan Kyerematen who was one of the 17 Aspirants. Dr Addo-Kufour saw nothing wrong with those utterances by his Campaign Manager. He didn’t see them to be divisive and threat to the unity of his family. We didn’t hear him condemn Sir John for making such utterances in the public.
Just recently, prior to the National Delegates’ Conference in Tamale, the former General Secretary, his close ally and former Campaign Manager of Dr Addo Kufour was again caught on tape for lashing out vitriolic attacks at the persons of the Ex-president Kufour and the current General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong whiles speaking to some delegates on his campaign tour as he sought for re-election.
Dr Addo Kufour is yet to condemn the barrage of attacks and insults rained on the Ex-president by some close allies of Nana Akufo-Addo, his preferred candidate. We have never heard him come to the aide of his brother in the face of all these vilifications from the Nana Addo’s camps [where he belongs] against the former president.
The Senior Patriot claims that Alan Kyerematen has surrounded himself with liars and I found it to be very ridiculous. I would want to remind my Senior Patriot, if only he’s forgotten that, there is a certain Ken Adjapong who is always attacking tribes, clans and noble personalities including his own brother the Ex-president. There is also a certain Dr Amoako-Tuffour who is known for casting insinuations, aspersions and innuendos against his own brother. These personalities among others are also in the ‘camp’ he adores. They are the kind of ‘resourceful’ people he claims Alan Kyerematen lacks in his team.
We are aware of the accusations against President Kufour that he supported Alan Kyerematen in the 2007 flag-bearership contest of the NPP. Some party faithful, particularly those in support of Nana Addo’s candidature argue that Nana Addo is supposed to be ‘heir-apparent’ of President Kufour in the NPP so if he [President Kufour] had to support any of the 17 aspiring flag-bearers that included him [Dr Addo-Kufour] then it must be the ‘heir-apparent’, Nana Addo.
From Dr Addo-Kufuor’s passionate rebuttal to Madam Hilda’s claims, it’s obvious he considers a situation where one supports a rival of a sibling in a contest as abominable and despicable, which is also capable of creating divisions in a family. So I ask, what does he make of those accusations by loyalists and supporters of Nana Addo against President Kufour that his supposed support for Alan Kyerematen against Nana Addo in the 2007 contest is the cause of all our current internal problems? Has he ever challenged those making those accusations? Because if I understand him well, it is required of one to support a sibling in a contest else s/he has committed an abominable act, which could even hamper the peace and unity in a family.
Well, I thought in making such choices one considers competence and other relevant qualities of the aspirant with family ties and blood relations being secondary. I don’t see why Dr Addo-Kufour should be worried of the threat these claims by Madam Hilda Addo pose to his family unity because if you indeed supported the Ex-president as you claim, why get disturbed about this because the Ex-president himself and all close family members would attest to the fact that you supported the Ex-president. What would the ‘lies’ of an outsider do to your family unity when they all witnessed how you toiled for your brother?
Just as the noble Medical Doctor and Senior Patriot has told the whole world the role he played in Elections 2000, we humbly demand that he tells us the role he played in his brother, the Ex-president’s campaign and bid to lead the party in 1998. We challenge him to tell us the kind of support he gave his brother as an aspiring flag-bearer.
As I end finally, I leave those who believe that the Ex-president supported Alan Kyerematen against the 16 other aspirants in the 2007 contest with this mind-boggling question. It goes to Dr Addo-Kufour himself;
…. Why would Ex-president choose Alan Kyerematen over his own brother in a flag-bearership contest? From the responses by Dr Addo-Kufour to Madam Hilda Addo, I could deduce a failure on one’s part to support a sibling or even support an opponent of a sibling can create divisions in a family hence his quick and passionate rebuttals.
So I ask, what did Dr Addo-Kufour do for his brother to support Alan Kyerematen against him?
Asem sebe!
Nanapoku Frefre
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