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Opinions of Monday, 28 May 2012

Columnist: Boateng, Chris Gyamfi

Akuffo Addo & Synovate caught in their campaign of lies and flip-flops

Looking at Ghana’s political landscape and events leading to election 2012, one can hardly fathom where Mr. Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo “At All Cost” stands; is the man is for real or he confused? A critical observation of the defeated 2008 NPP presidential candidate demonstrates that the man is disgruntled, desperate and a liar who would say anything to unsuspecting Ghanaians in order to win their votes. The flip-flopping of “All-Die-Be-Die” Akuffo Addo, his lies and double talks, deceptions and inconsistencies are becoming disgustingly nauseating.

One recalls Akuffo Addo’s undertaking to Ghanaians barely a year ago in the UK that, he would not make promises in the build up to the 2012 elections but he would rather lay out cogent and pragmatic programs and policies to help build and elevate Ghana to higher pedestals.

Knowing Akuffo Addo from his 2008 failed presidential bid when he made a litany and a motley lot of promises, some of us gave a sigh of relief when he declared that he would not make promises, leading us to cautiously applauding and complimenting him.

Our caution however, yielded fruitful results because as the adage goes, the leopard can never shed its spots as it did not take long before he started engulfing himself in another string of promises. For instance, in a speech delivered at Nsawam in the Akwapin South District of the Eastern Region, the defeated 2008 NPP flag-bearer promised to stabilize petroleum prices as reported by Ghanaweb on Saturday, September 3 rd of last year. The question is, how is he going to do that and since when did Akuffo Addo become the leader of OPEC for him to determine the futures of fuel prices? In fact, some of us felt like puking after reading this promise from Akuffo Addo because we felt the man is either not principled or he forgets about his own lies and propaganda just a day after he has issued them. Indeed, still dabbling in Precambrian politics of unreasonable promises, there is no telling the fact that Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo takes Ghanaians for fools and therefore expects us to buy into his cock and bull stories anytime he issues them. Akuffo Addo is an individual who will say one thing and do another thing or does exactly the opposite of what he has promised to do. Listen to one of his funniest and lame promises; that he will set up a Zongo Development Fund or something of that nature. Haha, was it not the same man who sexually abused Zongo women and left them to their fate? What is the guarantee that his promise of instituting a fund for them not a hogwash and a calculated attempt to throw dust into their eyes for their votes? Or, why didn’t he propose same to Kuffuor in the 8 years that they formed a government in which he featured prominently? Or he didn’t have a trust in his own government, then? Come to think of it, this is a presidential candidate who looked Ghanaians in the face and vowed to them never to make promises, as a departure from what he is noted for from his 2008 abysmal campaign which according to NPP insiders turned out to be bonking and beach dancing galore!

Amazingly, in an event dubbed Liberty Lectures where his so-called Dankwa Institute or is it a Dubious Institute (a pseudo NPP propaganda wing parading as a think tank) the All-Die-Be-Die man indicated that he was going to lay out a major policy statement; but Akuffo Addo, characteristically like a drunken sailor without a radar and therefore doesn’t know where he is heading toward, once again issued a promise of offering a free education up to the SHS level but never gave any tangible and sound financial backbone as to how he was going to fund it. Akuffo Addo has promised Ghanaians everything from Azerbaijan to Zabzugu but he must be told succinctly that Ghanaian voters are very discerning and therefore unlike their 2000 campaign of lies and fear mongering, his hollow promises will never wash this time and therefore, he better concentrate on his Pastor Obinim and Jesus One Touch Led Prayer Camps where condoms are in abundance. Interestingly, Mr. “Bottoms-All-Die-Be-Die” Akuffo Addo has in his pocket a research entity without credibility called Synovate posing as an opinion polling institute. In its recent poll, the Okyere Darko backed Synovate put the NPP ahead of the NDC just as it had done on its previous “polls” where on10/ 28/011 it cooked 48 percent for Akuffo Addo as well as concocting 41 percent for Mills. Again on 5/31/011, Synovate skewed its polls by concocting 43 percent for Akuffo Addo for while dashing Mills a pathetic 38 percent and as its tradition continues, Synovate last week reiterated their shameful polling by projecting Akuffo Addo ahead of the December polls with 44 percent and 38 for Mills, similar to the one of 5/31/011. What is amusing in this poll and what the NPP is glossing over is that if after his door-to-door campaign, listening tours, speeches, eating in village households and inciting violence for the past three-and-half years and the recent addition of Bawumia, all that Akuffo Addo can come up with is 44 percent, then the NPP its Nana have nothing good to write home about and therefore must prepare the elephant for the bush, courtesy Arthur Kennedy. But the serious question is, is the NPP and Akuffo Addo really excited about this 44 percent? With all the blatant noise about Ghanaians suffering under the Mills administration, one would expect the NPP to be garnering over 80% by now but nay! Just a misery 44 percent? And Synovate? I am sure if they conduct a survey on the popularity between Nana Addo and God, the NPP candidate will win hands down. That's Synovate for you.

The only conclusion one gathers from “Yen-Akanfuo” Akuffo Addo’s postures and lame promises is that he never believes in what he says and doesn’t say what he believes in. It is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to trust this man or entrust the destiny of the country into his hands because for all you know, he will one day promise Ghanaians a free passage to heaven or a free pass to his wife if only that will guarantee him the presidency and damn the consequences.

Mr. All-Die-Be-Die-Addo, enough of your flip-flopping and campaign of lies already!

I’m Koo Boateng and I approve of the above message.

Chris Gyamfi Boateng, Philadelphia, USA.