Opinions of Wednesday, 4 July 2018

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

Is Abdul Malik Kweku Baako a man of Integrity or just an Opportunist?

Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper

The supposedly ace Ghanaian journalist who doubles as the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Crusading Guide newspaper, Mr Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, is a two-faced person. With the Charlotte Osei saga, Kweku Baako has revealed his true colours. He has stated without the least shame that he will support Charlotte Osei, the now dismissed Chair of the Electoral Commission, regardless of whatever, because she is his blood relation. This is absolute bollocks!

He claims the charges brought against Charlotte Osei from within her own department and by her own work colleagues and subordinates emanated from an act of conspiracy. Let us define conspiracy before I drag Kweku Baako to the cleaners.

Conspiracy by dictionary definition is “an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons”. Where lies the conspiracy against Charlotte Osei when indeed the charges levelled against her were proven to be true? Was she not unilaterally awarding contracts without resort to the standing procedure at the Electoral Commission? Are there not evidential documents to prove that she awarded a contract at almost double the cost of what they had officially agreed, but without informing her other colleagues contrary to their rules and regulations?

Charlotte Osei in rebuttal to her deputies’ charges or allegations against her, rather muddied the waters even more. As the head of the Electoral Commission, she was very much aware of her Deputy, Amadu Sulley, transferring or importing illegal votes from one database on to another. Could anyone outside the Electoral Commission tell what was going on in there? No, except herself. She knew it and knew it best. However, she did nothing about it. She knew Amadu Sulley was accepting huge sums of money from some political parties which was illegal, but she did nothing about it. She only came out, as stupid as she is, thinking by revealing those illegal secrets could exonerate her from blame without knowing she was further implicating herself and making things worse for herself.

To preside over such prevalence of illegalities at the Electoral Commission made her not only incompetent but a criminal. If it were in the Civilized Whiteman’s land, she and her deputies would have long resigned or jumped without even waiting for anyone to ask them to do so or be pushed.

With all the self-accusatorial but proven allegations, Mr Kweku Baako subscribing to the belief of “blood is thicker than water”, is denigrating himself by his insistence that Charlotte Osei has done nothing wrong and that he will stand by her and defend her. How I wish Kweku Baako and all those throwing their weight behind Charlotte Osei in this saga had had their brains examined in case they are suffering from some form of mental illness.

Are they that colour blind not to be able to tell black from white? Are they not sensible enough to tell for themselves that Charlotte Osei and her deputies dug their own graves only for us to push them into them? Did I, Rockson Adofo, know anything about the illegal committals they were deeply involved in until they themselves came out to reveal to the public? Was it not they themselves who when their cups were full and overflowing with their evilness came out to alert the public to their secret but nefarious activities?

Kweku Baako has lost his respect in the eyes of many a discerning Ghanaian by blindly, if not stupidly, supporting Charlotte Osei in the face of all the credible evidence to the contrary. What a damn opportunist and dishonest person he is. I had much respect for him but now that respect has waned if not paled out completely.

The NDC fraternity and Kweku Baako can demonstrate in support of her, or go to court to defend her, she will be found guilty and will forever remain a goner.

Charlotte Osei thought she had Ghana on her shoulder and could do whatever she wanted because she had the support of the NDC government. Has she now realised how time changes. The obstinate Charlotte Osei has now been humbled and risks prosecution and conviction.

If it were in the United Kingdom, the USA, France, Germany, Netherlands etc., she would now be standing trial with the possibility of going to jail by now.

The demonstrations to be organised by the NDC and all their agents and assigns in favour of Charlotte Osei will be much ado about nothing. They had expectations in her to do their dirty bidding for them but how true it is the saying, “Man proposes but God disposes”. God shattered their malicious plans and that of the woman under discussion.

Any wise Ghanaian who seeks the betterment of Ghana will support the removal of corrupt Charlotte Osei and her deputies from office. Not only that, they will support their eventual prosecution to serve as a deterrence to would-be abusers of official positions to dubiously enrich themselves or lord themselves over the citizenry.

Shame on Kweku Baako and the NDC members determined to proceed on demonstrations in favour of Charlotte Osei and for her probable re-instatement. “Mo Aye Late” as Kwame A-Plus may say.

Rockson Adofo