I Fear For Akufo-Addo: 'Don't Trust Kuffour'

When Dr Tony Aidoo of the NDC said, ‘don’t trust Kuffour”, many were of the opinion that he was talking to all Ghanaians-he may well be talking to only Nana Akuffo-Adoo.

President Kuffour’s support of Alan Kyeremanten during the NPP Presidential primaries is well known by all. Many hold the view that the Presidents’ support of Allan is because he is somewhat related or closely tied to him politically. Some have even suggested that Alan was engrafted into the NPP government by Kuffour to succeed him. The other school of thought is that Kuffour feels obligated somewhat to ensure that Alan’s political career is as successful.

As a result, President Kuffour used all his influence albeit without success to push Alan to be the Presidential candidate of the NPP. Some of the then aspirants of the NPP were displeased but said nothing. Akuffo-Addo made a political statement about it.

Before we proceed, it cannot be over-emphasize that Alan would have been a better President. He understands free trade; He knows that any country wanting to succeed in this 21st century ought to incorporate Information Technology into its daily activities. He understands negotiations i.e. thinking win, win or no deal, and above all, he has the charisma to lead this country. Would he make a better President than his ardent supporter (Kuffour), without question! As far as I am concerned, all things being equal-Kuffour’s Family ties (supposedly royal and affluence), Education-Oxford trained, and International exposure-Deputy Foreign Minister at that young age; anybody would do far better than he has done!

I think President Kuffour’s support of Alan is deeply rooted than earlier mentioned. In as much as I hate to say it is a personal agenda against Akuffo-Addo, all the supporting evidence point to that: Akuffo-Addo, like Kuffour, was also born into affluence. His dad was a Prime Minister; he was also foreign trained in the legal profession. Striking similarities you would say, right? Akuffo-Addo however, proceeded to be a very successful Attorney. One of the finest Ghana has and will have in the years to come. But for Tsatsu Tsikata, Akuffo-Addo would go down in history as the most celebrated legal brain in our country.

President Kuffour knows that President Akuffo-Addo will make nonsense of his so-called achievements. Akuffo-Addo will have better judgments on close-call issues. He will establish better diplomatic ties with the powers-that-be. Besides, He will manage the affairs of the country better with less but qualified people. Akuffo-Addo will not give in as easily as Kuffour to the powers-that-be. Akuffo-Addo combines the courage of a soldier, the cunning of a merchant, and the tact of a diplomat. Above-all, President Kuffour knows that President Akuffo-Addo will let the law take its due course if anybody in the Kuffour administration, including Kuffour is found wanting by the law.

I guess we can appreciate the rationale behind Kuffour’s nomination of Atta-Mills for National recognition at such a crucial time for the NPP and their Presidential candidate- Nana Akuffo-Addo. I heard somebody said it was indiscretion on the part of the President to have nominated Atta-Mills for the highest honor. I beg to differ. Kuffour might come across as lacking sound judgment, but I will bet my last money that he knows exactly what he is doing. He prefers Atta-Mills as President to Akuffo-Addo. He and his people cannot afford nightmares when they retire come 2009 to enjoy their booty! Hey, you cannot fault him for that, can you?

Akuffo-Addo and Kuffour are anything but buddies. Candidate Akuffo-Addo used unkind words against candidate Kuffour during the NPP presidential primaries, which subsequently brought Kuffour to power. Kuffour needed an Attorney-General and there was none as best suited as Akuffo-Addo was at the time. Akuffo-Addo on the other hand has always had Presidential ambitions and needed a political platform to make that a reality. Therefore, Kuffour offered and he accepted and became Attorney-General and Minister of Foreign Affairs respectively. Mind you, they are not pals, but they have had to co-exist for the sake of their individual interests. Theirs was more of a professional relationship-they needed each other.

While Akuffo-Addo has stuck to his side of the bargain, Kuffour has done very little to do the same. He chose to endorse the candidate of the opposition party at such a time as now. Unbelievable! Somebody said he does not have an agenda? You could have fooled me. George Bush would never under the sun nominate Barrack Obama for any award let alone the highest honor of the United States even if Barrack went to space! Believe what you may, Kuffour knows, his close pals know and the discerning people of Ghana know that Kuffour has some scores to settle and he will go to whatever extend to ensure he does not hand over power to Akuffo-Addo. Somebody has to do a better job at explaining to me what Kuffour’s true intentions are for nominating Atta-Mills than those flying flimsy excuses. If I was Akuffo-Addo, I would not trust Kuffour much more than I would thrust him. Better yet, President Kuffour should clear the air and tell us what his motive behind Atta-Mills’s nomination.

For the records, I am not against the Atta-Mills’s nomination. I think if anybody deserves the highest honor in Ghana, Rawlings much more than anybody else does!

KENNETH K SARFO VA, USA
Email: wizanet@yahoo.com