Ignore Yayi Boni - Kufuor Tells Ghanaians

Former President John Agyekum Kufour has asked Ghanaians to ignore the glowing accolades given by the African Union (AU) President, Thomas Yayi Boni on the outcome of the December 2012 Presidential elections in which current President John Dramani Mahama was controversially declared winner.

At the official inauguration of President Mahama on Monday, Yayi Boni was given a platform to express himself. When he mounted the podium, he lauded Ghana’s electoral process.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dragged the Electoral Commission and President Mahama to court for allegedly conniving to rig the elections.

At the inauguration, Yayi Boni, who doubles as President of Benin, described the election as free and fair, noting, “The organization of legislative and presidential elections approved by thousands of national and international observers is the testimony of political maturity of the people of Ghana and the expression of peace to consolidate democratic values.

In an interview with Accra-based radio station, Oman FM, President Kufour said the comments made by the AU President should be ignored.

“What the African Union President came to say does not hold water, we will ignore it,” he stated in Twi.

For ex-President Kufour, the AU President was overly diplomatic in his views about the outcome of the elections.

“Diplomacy gets to a point where the truth is hidden. We have given him the chance to talk, he has delivered his speech and gone, don’t let anybody come and confuse us. By the grace of God, it is not his speech that will influence the court.”

KUFOUR’S DISSENT

Ex-President Kufour revealed that after the elections Yayi Boni, who had been briefed about the alleged fraud in the elections, came to him trying to appease him to let it go.

“Yayi Boni came to me calling for peace, but I told him that, as for me, I will not condone fraud.”

In the past couple of days, ex-President Kufour has received serious flak from his party supporters for attending the inauguration of President Mahama in his personal capacity.

Members of his party boycotted the event because they believed they would be condoning an illegality.

On the day, all NPP parliamentarians and leading officials were absent.

The only NPP chieftain at the inauguration was ex-President Kufour, who said he attended the event to honour an invitation extended to him by the State Protocol Department.

He said he honoured the invitation in his personal capacity as a statesman.

According to the embattled former president, when the invitation came, he discussed it with the party’s executives and it was agreed that he could attend the function in his own capacity.

The singular act had created an uncomfortable rift between the teeming supporters of the NPP and its leadership.

The stance of ex-President Kufour was seen as contradictory to the position held by the NPP.

“Kufour would never turn his back against the party, I have not done anything against the party. I strongly support the court action we have taken,” he was quoted as saying.

“The petition, we have presented, Nana Akufo Addo and Bawumia did very well within the three weeks that the case was built for the Supreme Court, let’s pray that the court will be judicious in its ruling”

He continued, “We have gone to court, so let’s follow the proceedings closely and hope that the judges will exercise a good sense of judgment.”

STRANGE ARRANGEMENTS

The NPP was convinced the invitation of ex-President Kufour and proceedings at the inauguration were frantic attempts by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to legitimize the controversial presidency of John Mahama.

According to Nana Akomea, the Communications Director of the NPP, proceedings at the Independence Square on Monday smacked of a deliberate ploy to make President Mahama look good.

For instance, the invited African Heads of State (about 15 of them) were persuaded to file past for a handshake with newly-elected president, which has never happened in the country’s history.