FLASHBACK: Chiefs are begging Akufo-Addo to be soft on corruption – Amidu

The Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government has in recent times come under critical scrutiny by various stakeholders, with some people tagging the administration as corrupt.

This perception is in direct contrast with the stance of Mr. Akufo-Addo, who insists his appointees are innocent of the tag since all allegations levelled them have been investigated and, in some cases, they have been cleared.

The current perception leaves many to wonder if the president adhered to allegations made by a former anti-corruption campaigner.

Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu in 2017 disclosed that many chiefs across the country were begging Akufo-Addo to go soft on corruption.

He alleged that some influential chiefs were urging the president to compromise on his anti-corruption agenda, in the name of reconciliation.

Mr. Amidu, then an anti-corruption crusader made the revelation in a write-up, in which he exposed alleged corruption in the 5th and 6th parliaments, and called on the 7th parliament to restore citizens’ confidence in the honour and integrity of the legislature.

“I assure every Ghanaian that the evidence of criminal and unconstitutional conduct is overwhelming, but unconstitutional attempts are being made through influential chiefs and elders to let bygones be bygones contrary to the demands of the Constitution for accountability, transparency and fairness in governance. May the 7th Parliament and the President remember that even walls have ears and we hear the attempts at trying to compromise the President’s anti-corruption agenda in the name of reconciliation. The President’s anti-corruption drive will be still-born with such compromises and reconciliations,” he wrote.

Read the full story originally published on January 10, 2017, on GhanaWeb

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is under pressure from some influential chiefs to compromise on his anti-corruption agenda, in the name of reconciliation; that’s according to anti-corruption campaigner and former Attorney General, Martin Amidu.

“I assure every Ghanaian that the evidence of criminal and unconstitutional conduct is overwhelming, but unconstitutional attempts are being made through influential chiefs and elders to let bygones be bygones contrary to the demands of the Constitution for accountability, transparency and fairness in governance. May the 7th Parliament and the President remember that even walls have ears and we hear the attempts at trying to compromise the President’s anti-corruption agenda in the name of reconciliation. The President’s anti-corruption drive will be still-born with such compromises and reconciliations.”

Mr. Martin Amidu made this revelation in his latest write-up, in which he exposed alleged corruption in the 5th and 6th parliaments, and called on the 7th parliament to restore citizens’ confidence in the honour and integrity of the legislature. The man, who has earned the nickname citizen vigilante for vigorously protecting the public purse, urged President Akufo-Addo to remain steadfast in his anti-corruption agenda, by resisting the pressure on him not to crack the whip in the name of reconciliation.

“The massive thrashing of the incumbent Looter Government of John Dramani Mahama (may God never give Ghana a corrupt and looter President like him again) by the President, Nana Akufo Addo and the New Patriotic Party, is a clear expression of the sovereign will of Ghanaians for accountability, transparency and fairness in governance to all citizens without fear or favour. The people voted against patronage, cronyism, ethnicity, and political party cryptocracy in bringing the President and the 7th Parliament into office.”

Mr. Amidu said he is counting on President Akufo-Addo’s firm assertions to protect the public purse, by saving the country from further bleeding, and punishing wrongdoers. He thus reminded the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of its promises to tackle corruption, to keep faith with the people of Ghana, whose massive vote against the Mahama-led administration, shows they were fed up with corruption and mismanagement, and expect a new breath of hope.

“Unlike previous elections in the annals of our history, the pivotal and critical issues were between electing a corrupt, bankrupt, inept, incompetent, abusive, impudent, and Looter incumbent Government, and electing one of the contesting candidates dedicated to fighting all these unconstitutional capricious evils and protecting the national purse.”

He noted that “Ghanaians therefore expect, and demand a total brake with the immediate past practices of the parliaments which were reduced into appendages of the executive chariot in looting the national purse. Ghanaians have demanded and expect that the mandate of the 7th Parliament will be consistent with the letter and spirit of the 1992 Constitution; and the promises by the President to protect the national purse and be impartial in the governance of our dear country. The promises of the President upon whose steam of anti-corruption agenda the NPP in Parliament had such a beautiful majority, meets Citizens Vigilance for Justice’s agenda of putting Ghana First. I dare say that the reasonable number of members of Parliament returned and voted to the 7th Parliament was the result of the electorate’s perception of their ability to put Ghana First in holding the executive to account.”

According to him, “The rape of this country by the Looter Government with the active cooperation of the 5th and 6th Parliaments are well known and the welcome disapproval shown publicly by the then Minority Leader, Honourable Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu on 6th January 2017 is, therefore, good news and a harbinger of the anticipations for the positive changes to come. Happily, Hon. Mensah-Bonsu who is now the Majority Leader of the 7th Parliament, has the burdensome duty to help the President to pursue any past criminal infractions of the Constitution and laws of Ghana by investigating and dealing with them as the first step to demonstrating commitment to the anti-corruption agenda of the President and his Government, and of Parliament.”