Why Kufuor dodged voting last Sunday

Although the spokesperson for former President John Agyekum Kufuor has explained the rationale behind his boss’ decision to abstain from voting during last Sunday’s Special Delegates Conference of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), The Enquirer has stumbled on what could be described as the true reason why Mr. Kufuor took such decision.

The former President has in recent times not been happy with the deep-seated acrimony within the party, especially the violence that rocked the party headquarters recently, and he was scared to get closer to that place during the just ended voting.

Mr. Frank Agyekum, spokesperson for the former President, had stated that his boss took the position not to vote because he sees himself as a statesman.

However, The Enquirer is reliably informed from sources very much close to the former President that he was rather scared of a possible violence erupting at the party headquarters where he was expected to vote.

Former President Kufuor, who is doubtlessly the most successful person in the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition, has been attacked on some few occasions, and that might have forced him to decide not to vote in that special exercise.

In fact, the former President had a bitter encounter with some young supporters of his party on January 7, last year, following his decision to attend the investiture of the then President-elect, John Dramani Mahama.

A group of young party activists led by Kofi Dokyi Ampaw, who once made time in a US prison for illicit drug-related offences, stormed the former President’s residence at the plush Airport Residential Area to pressurize him not to attend the all-important national programme.

On other platforms, the former President, who is noted for his calm mannerism, has been accused of not supporting the Presidential ambition of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Nana Addo himself has on some platform discounted that accusation, and rather spoken of the massive support he had received from the former president, who when their party was in power appointed him as minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as Attorney General and Minster of Justice.

The disrespect of party adherents for the former President reached its peak when ‘Kofi Dubai,’ a Kumasi-based radio serial caller, threatened to hit Mr. Kufuor with a shoe anytime he visited Kumasi, the NPP stronghold.

The sources that alerted The Enquirer of the real reason why the former President did not vote last Sunday, said that the ‘Gentle Giant’ took the decision as a protest for the party to put its act together.

The Enquirer was told that the recent attack on Mr. Paul Afoko and Mr. Kwabena Agyepong, Chairman and General Secretary respectively of the NPP, informed the former President’s decision not to vote. The sources told The Enquirer that, although voting was through secret ballot, the likelihood of people accusing of Mr. Kufuor of voting for a particular candidate was high.

The former President has in the past been accused of preferring Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, rather than Nana Addo, to lead the NPP.

The sources told The Enquirer that brutalities meted out Ibrahim Atuluk, an aide to Mr. Afoko, goes to buttress the former President’s position as to why he didn’t to want to get close to the party headquarters.

Atuluk was heavily assaulted at the NPP headquarters by assailants he claims he could identify by their face.

His left arm was broken by the men he claimed spoke in a language he could not understand and that he does not know their names, but they are known at the party headquarters and are also known to be supporters of Nana Addo.

Atuluk claimed that he was brought to the NPP headquarters 10 years ago by former President Kufuor but regrettably he is going through all these because of his association with Mr. Afoko, who is perceived to be anti-Nana Addo.

It is not clear whether Atuluk has been discharged from the hospital or not.

But he claimed that he was instrumental in getting Mr. Afoko to win the Chairmanship position and since then he has never had his peace.