Will The Lion Sleep Tonight (Mbube)

By Joe Ricketts-Arthur

Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s presidential ambition appears to have hit rock-bottom and it seems that like JB Danquah and Paa Willie he is also going to be the “President that never was”. What a pity! This is a family that belives in only one thing – that its members are divinely ordained to be presidents of this our dear country called Ghana. Sadly, no member of this family ever achieved this feat except Nana Addo’s own father (Edward Aufo-Addo) who became a ceremonial president under Busia’s Progress Party regime – thanks to Afrifa and Kotoka’s military coup on 24th February 1966.


“If God does not install you as a king you will never be king!”


After this defeat I do not think NPP will give him another chance. Age is not on his side and it would be difficult for him to beat Mahama in the next elections in the unlikely event that he is given another chance. Hard luck to him! I hope NPP would do themselves a lot of good by taking stock of their activities. First, they should know that their main product (free SHS education) did not sell. Why? Ghanaians did not purchase that product because they felt it was a deceit. How could Ghanaians believe in Akufo’s free SHS education policy if it was his father who supervised the destruction of our very compulsory and free basic education?


Threats such as declaration of wars, declaration of genocide against some tribes, declaration of “all-die-be-die” and politics of insults and many other issues were the causes of Nana’s “Babylonian” fall. If you visit all the holy lands in the universe but turn round to preach violence then whatever you do will be in futility.

The “One Touch” election of President Mahama (though not officially declared by the Electoral Commission) as our next president marks the beginning of a new dawn and I call on all Ghanaians to celebrate his victory with joy. “Welcome President ‘Joshua’ John Dramani Mahama.


As it is now becoming our tradition to organise send-off parties to people retiring from their works, so should Ghanaians organise a send-off party for the “roaring lion” (all-die-be-die Akufo-Addo) with the song entitled “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Mbube)” as soon as the Electoral Commission Declares the Winner today.


Ling Live Ghana!