A leader worthy of trust must say what he means and mean what says. His words
must have credibility and substance. Nana Akufo Addo has for long boasted about
his credentials as a human rights defender yet as a member of government under
Kufuor administration he failed to demonstrate his commitment in relation to
cases that required a human rights fighter to stand up and be counted.
What did Nana Akufo Addo do when Isaa Mobila, a CPP regional chairman in Tamale
was brutally tortured and murdered in military custody? What did the so-called
human rights defender do to offer justice to Issa Mobila’s family?
What about the brutal killing of innocent Ghanaians in Gambia under Akufo Addo’s
watch as a foreign minister? What concrete actions can he point out to as things
he did at the level of Ecowas, African Union to ensure that pressure was brought
to bear on the Gambian authorities?
Is it therefore any surprise that despite all his loud proclamation while in
opposition about justice to victims of the “Kume Preko” demonstration, the man
did nothing in all his years as Attorney General to bring justice to them?
Akufo Addo boasts about his belief in rule of law, civil liberties etc yet has
no qualms stripping former President Rawlings of his privileges. How ironic!
This same Akufo Addo as a presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party in
AD 2011 is preaching ethnocentrism and calling on his party folks to go out
there and engage in violence. “They have intentions to intimidate us 2012
because they believe that we the Akans are soft and cowards. If that is the
thinking, then we shall see. At least during the Atiwa bye-election, we showed a
little of our colours there” He said.
“You must understand that this party was formed by courageous people. Our
leaders who formed this party that has now become the biggest political movement
in Ghana were not cowards. So in 2012 we need to be courageous because all die
be die. All die be die” he repeated.
What is Nana Addo talking about? That, during the Atiwa bye-elections, the NPP
actually sponsored their thugs to visit mayhem on people? That in 2012 the other
parties including the ruling government should expect violence? How credible is
Nana Addo on his claim of being a human rights defender? How can a human right
defender be advocating for violence?
What about his ethnocentric tantrums? What does Nana Addo mean by “we Akans”?
Does it mean that the NPP is an Akan party? What has gone wrong with our
leaders? Why should a political leader advocate for violence in this day and
age? Akufo-Addo is once again playing "Akan" politics but the truth is the
Ashantis don't like him or even trust him to become President.
A man genuinely seeking to become President of Ghana will never stoop so low. A
president of a country is not the same as a tribal leader and if Akufo Addo
wants to lead a tribe instead of a country he can go to Kyebi and conduct his
tribal business. Tribal politics has no place in modern African politics. It is
destructive, insular and simply unacceptable. Utterances as insular as these do
not define a Ghanaian President. When a coward talks, you see cowardice draining
down his feet, he needs some unscrupulous people like himself to support his
barbaric intentions.
Ghana does not need leaders in the caliber of Nana Akufo Addo. We need true
leaders who have made it and can change the course of history and not that they
have fought long enough to belong.We don’t need people to occupy space and we
also don’t need people who feel they are destined to be leaders and yet their
minds and hearts are stained with impunity. We need leaders who will inspire
the next generation and not leaders who will follow in the failed tradition of
their forefathers.
Enough Said.
Emmanuel Dela Coffie
www.delacoffie.wordpress.com