By Nana
Akua Tweneboah-Koduah
He is
known variously as “Yen Akan Fuo”, “Yenim Wo Fi Tete”, “At All Cost We Must Win
The 2012 Elections”, “All Die Be Die” and many others. This is the man who
vowed that he will taste the presidency at all cost and enjoy all the
flamboyance and pecks that comes with that high office before, before.
But
please hold your fire! Do not be dismayed, and do not let your hearts be
troubled. Believe in God and believe also in Ghana, because in the political
gallery in Ghana are many politicians, but I have zeroed in on who the cap
fits. And the lot fell on no other person than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the
man who has stood on the ticket of the NPP in the past two presidential
elections and lost them all.
It is
Nana Akufo-Addo’s posture of ascending to the presidency come what may which
sent him into a denial mode when he glaringly lost the 2012 Presidential
Election. He could not take it! He,
therefore, went Bananas! And Akufo-Addo’s first inkling was to reject the
results. He then incited NPP supporters to converge at the Obra Spot at the
Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra to protest and cause chaotic scenes.
Some
innocent people were beaten by NPP supporters whilst a few lost their lives.
Even the press which has been extremely sympathetic to the NPP for close to 20
years were not spared the rod that emanated from Akufo-Addo’s disappointing
loss at the polls as some reporters were heckled and their vehicles smashed. Nana
Akufo-Addo went on the rampage when he realized that his dream-prized presidency
has slipped away from him.
When
condemnation started from all fronts, Nana Akufo-Addo just adopted a last
minute window dressing approach and asked his supporters to go home while he
prepares to take his so-called electoral malpractice allegations to the courts.
My
heart bleeds when some people who perhaps did not follow the aftermath of the
declaration of the 2012 Presidential Election results, falsely give good accolades
to Nana Akufo-Addo as a real democratic who did not allow his supporters to
continue to stay at the Obra Spot, but dispersed them as he headed for court.
Real
democrats are not violent people. True democrats always adopt people’s first
approach. And genuine democrats don’t cause unnecessary pains to the very
people they seek to govern when they are rejected at the polls. Therefore, I
personally do not see Akufo-Addo as one of them. Now back to my take.
True
to his words, Nana Akufo-Addo went to the Supreme Court with loads of
allegations which he claimed contributed towards his loss in the polls. Some of
the phony allegations were duplicate
serial numbers, duplicate polling station codes, unknown polling stations, over
voting, voting without biometric verification and unsigned signatures of
presiding officers.
It
was Nana Akufo-Addo’s last hurray towards his dream presidency. The nine-member
Supreme Court Justices looked into the sham evidence which were hurriedly
packaged and presented to them. They also listened to the petitioners elaborate
on why 4 million valid votes should be thrown away to assist Akufo-Addo to march
on to victory. But the respondents in the case countered and punched multiple
holes into the fake evidence presented by Nana Akufo-Addo. The respondents in
the end tore Akufo-Addo’s so-called evidence into tartars.
A
date was then set for judgment. It was August 29, 2013 and the whole country
was on edge. Just after 11 am on that fateful day, Akufo-Addo who never learns
anything in life zoomed to the Supreme Court in a convoy of more than 20 SUV’s
with security detail that compares only to the presidency. Do you recall
Akufo-Addo’s behaviour after he was elected as the flagbearer of the NPP to
contest the 2008 Elections? His motorcade and fleet of cars dwarfed that of
then President JA Kufuor making the latter steam with anger.
It
took less than 5 minutes for the Supreme Court Justices to pronounce judgement.
The NPP was stunned. The NDC was elated. President Mahama was vindicated. The
NDC stayed in power. The NPP became deflated. President Mahama’s presidency was
given the seal of approval. Ghana became peaceful. And life is still going on.
In
less than 2 hours after the verdict, we heard from Ghana’s most stubborn,
arrogant, violent and notorious politician. Nana Akufo-Addo who felt caged
finally gave up. He conceded defeat, called President Mahama to congratulate
him, stated that he was disappointed with the ruling, accepted it nonetheless,
and asked his supporters to shove off and allow Ghana to move on in peace.
But
Akufo-Addo was not done yet. He saved his beef for the last. He told Ghanaians
that he has had enough of the NDC and therefore retired from active politics.
What he however failed to tell Ghanaians was that, it was rather the NDC that
has retired him from politics. The shameful defeats that Akufo-Addo has
suffered at the hands of late President John Mills and current President John
Mahama were too much for him to bear hence his decision to run and take a
respite in the Elephantic (my own word) bushes.
Akufo-Addo
is gone. He’s history, and never again will anybody dream of such a character
emerging on the political landscape in Ghana. Kudos to the NDC for a job well
done! I trust you Akufo-Addo will never be able to figure out how the NDC did
it before, before.
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