Attending Mahama’s inauguration is not a stab in the back - JAK

Former president Kuffour has expressed dismay at attacks on him by some NPP supporters over his insistence on attending the inaugural ceremony of president-elect John Dramani Mahama.

According to him, attending the ceremony will never be a stab in the back of his party, the New Patriotic Party, but rather taking responsibility as a statesman.

The NPP has petitioned the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the declaration of president Mahama as president-elect by the electoral commission due to an alleged rigging.

According to the party the attending the ceremony will undermine its case in court challenging the election results.

The opposition NPP on Wednesday announced the party will not participate in the ceremony of president Mahama and cautioned supporters against attending.

However a statement from the office of the former President Kufuor who is a member of the NPP, said he will attend the ceremony in his capacity as a former President of the country but some party supporters are vehemently opposed to it.

Some of the irate supporters in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi have vowed to subject former president Kufuor to bad treatments if he attends the inaugural ceremony likewise key members like Kofi Dokyi-Ampaw.

But, speaking exclusively on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Friday, former president Kufuor noted that he is attending the inauguration ceremony because he was invited as a former leader of the country, and not a politician.

He asserted that the attacks on his personality by the NPP supporters are reaction of people who live on emotions and not strategy.

“Anybody who says that I have betrayed the NPP by attending president Mahama’s inauguration is only following his emotions. Leading a nation is not easy so where I have reached, I am more of a statesman than mere party person. Leadership comes with lots of responsibility so if I am called to a function by people who made me president some time back, who am I to decline”.

The former president insisted he will attend the inauguration ceremony of president-elect John Dramani Mahama because he is a statesman. “I have been invited as a former leader of the country so I will attend”.

“The Chief Justice will swear the president on Monday with Justices of the supreme court. Are we then saying that because they swore the president in, they have prejudged the court case? No, because they are doing the work of the nation and so will I. So people should leave me alone”.

He admonished the NPP to focus on the court issue because what the court says is final and not the swearing in ceremony.

“The illegality of President Mahama’s victory is not the swearing in but what the court will say so all must exercise restraints”.