Jake Behind Rumour

Sends text messages: “Atta Mills has kicked the bucket”

Credible information available to The Al-Hajj indicates that the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, known for his adeptness in dirty media and political gimmicks is the main source of the last week-end rumours of demise of the President, John Evans Atta Mills. The Al-Hajj at the time of filling this report is digging deep to establish the motive/s for the spreading of such wicked and wild rumour by the National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party. A source within the camp of the New Patriotic Party who for obvious reasons doesn’t want to be named told The Al-Hajj last Sunday after the reported departure of the president to United States earlier on Saturday night that, Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, the NPP national chairman was sending text messages round to party functionaries across the country all day Saturday, claiming president Mills has been pronounced dead according to his Castle source. According to our source, who sighted the sinister text message among colleagues in the NPP; although Mr. Jake Obestebi-Lamptey was unable to tell exactly when and where the death occurred, he was highly certain and jubilant, reading from his text message. “Atta Mills has kicked the bucket last night” was Jake Obetsebi-Lampteys’ brief message to one party guy in the Eastern Region. The text message is currently in the possession of The Al-Hajj. Even before president John Mills embarked on what he himself described as a routine medical trip to the USA on Saturday night, rumours of his death was wide-spread all over the capital city, Accra and on some social networks, causing panic and unease among Ghanaians.

Briefing the media shortly before he emplane to the US, president Mills asked “as you are looking at me in person are you seeing the person who has died?” He said, “I have heard about this so-called death sometime ago and I said to myself, what is happening. Indeed, this is not the first time I have heard people say this about me… “A similar thing happened in…, but let me just say that I am very strong and healthy, I don’t know the basis for saying that I am dead”. The president assured whiles attempting trotting. Indeed, this isn’t the first time Mills is rumoured to have died. In 2007, John Mills, then as 2008 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was reported by the media to have died in far away South Africa, compelling the highly respected Professor of Law to cut short his vacation in South Africa to return home.

The semi official mouth piece of the New Patriotic Party newspaper, the New Statesman began it all last week with a front page banner: “Where is Our President”-Ghanaians ask?

According to the New Statesman “Many Ghanaians are expressing worry and concern over the continued silence of President John Evans Atta-Mills on the growing levels of violence and communal conflicts which have resulted in deaths in some parts of the country…

“They are particularly worried about the President’s failure to assure them that he is in charge of the affairs of the nation, while others want to know whether he is really at post carrying out his duties as the president of the nation...”

In a deliberate publicity and propaganda trick to fuel the perception of an ailing president, a rumour started by NPP chairman and carried by the pro-NPP New Statesman newspaper, the flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo in a press statement released Sunday, said they have “learnt last night [Sunday] from President Atta Mills that he was on his way to the United States to see doctors for medical treatment.”

In actual fact the President, prior to him leaving the shores of Ghana loudly stated that he was going to the US for a routine medical check-up and not treatment as Akufo Addo wants the world to believe.

Nana Akufo Addo was exposed when he further stated in the statement he personally signed that he hopes “the checks go well and he comes back fit and strong,” to continue his duties as the President of the country. He assured that the prayers and thoughts of Ghanaians are with President Mills in the US. Nana Addo said he wished Mills "a safe return to duty in a few days."