Akufo-Addo has not tasted alcohol in 16 Years - Ursula

Gender Rights advocate and staunch NPP activist, Ursula Owusu, says if the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party wants to use the upbringing of one’s children as issues for political discussion and criteria for occupying state positions, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is prepared to go down that lane with them.

According to her, every parent tries to raise their children well but how they turn out is a matter of grace.

The Communications Director at the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho earlier last week, scathingly attacked the NPP Presidential Candidate by asking him to put his home in order by providing proper supervision for his alleged wayward daughter before poking his nose in the affairs of the government.

The 2012 NPP Presidential candidate had sought to criticize President Mills’ governing style.

Nana Addo was reported to have said at the start of a two day tour of the Upper West Region, that President Mills lacks direction for the country, alleging that several social intervention programmes started by the Kufuor administration have been rejected by the Mills’-led administration. The NPP Flagbearer also opined that President Mills’ response to a question as to whether he intended to purge the judiciary; was not good enough, and taciturn to say the least.

That necessitated Mr. Anyidoho’s vituperative attack.

And as if that was not harsh enough, a group of NDC activists, who identify themselves as the Media Analyst Group (MAG), organized a press conference in Accra on Tuesday October 5, and launched a barrage of criticisms against the presidential candidate of the NPP. They outlined a host of reasons why they thought Akufo-Addo was not fit to be President of Ghana, citing issues of alleged drug addiction, drinking spree as well as his daughter’s drunk driving that occurred two months.

They blamed Nana Addo for his supposed inability to exercise control and proper upbringing of one of his four daughters, Mary Fummy Gyankroma Akufo-Addo.

The NDC Media Analysts Group therefore asked, “If Nana Akufo-Addo has four daughters and if he cannot manage the upbringing of only four daughters, how on earth can we entrust the destiny of Ghana’s youth into his hands?”

Gyankroma Akufo Addo, a 33-year- old daughter of NPP flag bearer, Nana Akufo Addo, was busted driving under the influence of alcohol in the company of some Nigeria friends, and nearly snuffed the life out of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BOG), Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur on Saturday, 21st August 2010 along the Switch-back Road in Accra.

The NPP flag bearer’s daughter pleaded guilty to two counts of careless and inconsiderate driving and driving under the influence of alcohol when she was arraigned before an Accra District Motor Court. The court later found her guilty on her own pleas and sentenced her to a fine of GH¢480.00; a fine many consider as very lenient.

But contributing to a panel discussion on PeaceFM’s flagship programme, “Kokrokoo”, Ms Ursula Owusu said, parents try to give their children the best of training and also punish them as well when they go wrong whiles they are still under their tutelage, but there is less they can do when they turn adults and live their independent lives.

“…No man is perfect, we are bound to do wrong; but we accept our wrongs and apologize for them and perform any given punishment. In her case, she was fined and she has paid it and moved on. It was Koku Anyidoho who said we should make it an issue and the Media Analysts group is also saying it is evidence that Nana Addo did not bring up his children well,” she noted.

The outspoken NPP fanatic confidently declared that Nana Akufo-Addo has been a teetotaler “for the past fifteen to sixteen years; drinks only soda water, fruit juice and coca cola”, and therefore it is “not possible for Nana Addo to smoke if he does not even drink”.

“It is a fact,” she categorically stated, and questioned how people can use the behaviour of one’s child as a criterion in determining whether one is fit to govern the country.

“Is it the father who should teach a 33year old woman how to lead her life? How can we let the actions of our children reflect on the upbringing that they got and claim that because of that one is not to responsible to lead the country…Is it Rawlings’ fault that his daughter has given birth to two children when she is not married?... Is it E.T Mensah’s fault that his child run away from school under pretense of kidnap? Can parents like Kofi Annan, Sam Jonah, and KSM among others be blamed for the wayward behaviour their children put up?” she quizzed.

The Vice-President of FIDA International added that the NPP did not use the issue of then Candidate Mills having a child out of wedlock and allegedly not catering for him as a political campaign tool because the “party decided that it is not necessary to bring issues of family members on political platforms,” but should the NDC dare bring up issues of morality and the upbringing of one’s children as criteria for occupying state positions, the NPP will meet them squarely.

“We decided that we put our families outside our political platforms, it is not the child’s fault neither is it the mother or father’s fault that a child chooses a certain way to live his/her life,” she stressed.