NANA AKUFO ADDO: THE BEST TO HAVE MISSED OUT ON THE PRESIDENCY IN GHANA’S HISTORY
David Azuliya

December 17, 2013

Since the inception of democratic rule in 1992 in Ghana, the nation has witnessed much stability on the political front perhaps than any African nation notwithstanding the previous era of a disco of coups and civilian governments. This state has propelled the image of the country to unimaginable heights in sub- Saharan Africa and the world at large. In 2004, the country will be elected member of the 15 member pioneer AU Peace and Security Council which will be crowned in 2006 as the country gets the nod on the UN Security Council for 2006/07 which it will chair in august 2006.

The nation Ghana, no doubt, has achieved global acclaim as a beacon of hope not only in West Africa where it is seen as the peaceful island in an ocean of political turmoil, but also in the entire African continent along with the likes of Mauritius and Botswana.

In view of this feat, it is not a surprise that every enlightened citizen of the country will nurse up ambitions to occupy leadership positions in the country. One such leadership position that has served as the horny-comb of all is the office of President. Since 1960, seven different individuals have been elected to occupy the famous office. However, with the country gradually slipping back and forth in its economic struggles throughout the period having once accepted the tag of a Heavily Indebted Poor Country, the question one asks often is; could any of those who failed at one time or the other to occupy the office have been any better than the seven so far?

This question brings to mind a presidential candidate who has not only been the most vilified and heavily slandered by opposition forces of all presidential candidates of all time, but the one that has rolled out campaign messages that will pass for the best long term national strategic development policies for the country. This presidential candidate spent the prime time of his life in the struggle for the democracy that the country currently enjoys; he used his profession to build the capacity of many citizens; he served his country up to the highest point of world decision making at the UN; and his life has been free and devoid of corruption and malfeasance. This is the personality of Nana Akufo Addo.

First, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections lived up to the heroism of the founding fathers of this nation. Like his great grand uncle Danquah, his uncle Ofori Atta, his father Akufo Addo and the company of Kwame Nkrumah, Obetsebi Lamptey, Ako Adjei and Kofi Botsio who embacked upon the fierce struggle to ward off colonial rule and achieve self-government, Nana Akufo Addo picked up the struggle through the Peoples Movement for Freedom and Justice as well as the Ghana Committee on Human and Peoples’ Rights where he served as general secretary and first chairperson respectively to restore constitutional and democratic governance for the people and nation of Ghana. In similar respects as with the era of Kwame Nkrumah, Nana Akufo Addo agreed with the informal terms and conditions of losing his own right to the freedoms he struggled alongside people like Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa, William Ofori Atta, Obed Asamoah, Nii Amaah Amartefio and several others to protect. This was specifically with regard to the struggle to restore a multi-party democracy during the time of Colonel Kutu Acheampong during the referendum on the infamous UNIGOV. Nana Akufo Addo fought to the point of having to go on exile when events turned clearer that his life itself was the subject on the table of the military government. This was in view of the fact that he was a leading member (secretary general) of the organization (Peoples’ Movement for Freedom and Justice) through which he sought to defend the rights of the people of Ghana to multi-party democratic rule. It is undoubtedly clear that his efforts alongside others, have contributed to the global acclaim that the nation Ghana now enjoys as the only light of democraticy in West Africa and the beacon of hope in Africa. This feat has never been contested by any political opponent.

Second, Nana Akufo Addo has used his professional worth as a legal practitioner to build the capacity of many citizens of our country who rose to occupy very key positions in government as well as performing significant national assignments. This feat began in 1979 when he co-founded the famous law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co at the age of thirty-five. What is significant of this contribution is the importance of legal professionals in an increasingly global planet of which international development depends greatly on cooperation between and among nations. Such cooperation will only become valuable depending on the value of the human resource at ones disposal to negotiate international agreements to meet the overall national interest of one’s nation. In this regard, his efforts are not disappointing when one glosses over names such as Joe Ghartey, a Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Sophia Akufo, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Philip Addison, Lead Counsel for Petitioners in the 2012 Presidential Election Petition, Frank Davies, President of the Greater Accra Regional Bar Association, Atta Akyea, Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South Constituency, Daniel Afari Yeboah, Akoto Ampaw, also a counsel for the Petitioners in the 2012 Presidential Election Petition, and many others who all trained and gained legal accomplishments under the law firm co-founded by Nana Akufo Addo and one other. Again, it has not even been speculated that any doubt arose concerning the professional contribution of Nana Akufo Addo to the empowerment of his people even though several unsuccessful attempts have been made to question his qualification as a lawyer.

Moreover, a proud leader of the democracy movement in Ghana since 1975 and a true patriot of the nation, a man who looked to the freedoms of his people and the overall issues of good governance and democracy is the personality of Nana Akufo Addo. He served his country as Member of Parliament for twelve years and as a cabinet minister for eight years during which he made contributions that could be described as landmark. As Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, he was the man who led the government to repeal the Criminal Libel Law. This was a law that sought to intimidate members of the Media and justify every affront to the freedom to speech and expression. Even though the Former Attorney-General contributed much to the advancement of human freedoms in his duties as a Minister of Justice such as enabling people to demonstrate without police permission, the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law remain his flagship achievement as a Minister of Justice and Attorney-General towards the advancement of rule of law and democracy in Ghana. Another significant accomplishment of the former foreign affairs minister lies in his efforts to promote stability in the West African sub-region and the restoration of multi-party democracy in Sierra-Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast. As minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Akufo Addo led efforts at convening a Tripartite Committee that nailed the coffin of the Liberian civil war and resulted in the subsequent holding of multi-party elections in that country. His retirement from office as Minister will therefore see a region west of Ghana experience the democracy that Ghana itself boasts of across the African continent even though later events will cast negative shadows on Ivory Coast. Far off across the African continent, Nana Akufo Addo will rise to chair a council that can best be described as the most powerful body in the world relating to the consensual use of force in world affairs. This followed Ghana’s membership of the UN Security Council of 2006/07. His leadership of such an important body was not vague as he led the Council to take decisions that halted Israeli military incursions into Lebanese territory thereby avoiding an escalation in conditions of violence within the Middle-East. So when the heights attained by Nana Akufo Addo as a Foreign Minister are being interrogated, one can only liken him to that of the legendary Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his global political fame even though Nkrumah stands tall given his position as Head of State at the time. Again, his feat as a successful public servant and diplomat as Member of Parliament, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as well as Foreign Affairs Minister has never been challenged to the contrary by any opposition political personality or group.

Lastly, Nana Akufo Addo in his service to the people of Ghana and the world in general has cultivated a personality and a stature that is unrivalled by any known presidential candidate in the history of Ghana. His public declaration of not being corrupt at any particular point in his career is just a message of challenge to all who seek to govern Ghana. Indeed, he stands out as the Minister who served eight years without staying in a state bungalow or using a state vehicle. In 2012, prior to the presidential election, Former President Rawlings pointed him out as one of the personalities in Kufuor’s government who did not partake in the acquisition of state lands. In the heat of the 2012 presidential campaign during which the subject of corruption became a major issue and many were accused including the incumbent President, no individual could raise a finger against the NPP presidential candidate for having indulged in corrupt activities. Therefore, his fine form as a politician of high integrity has never for once been challenged by any of his opponents, further pointing to his clean record of always wanting to add up to his country and not vice-versa.

In other ways, the presidential ambition of Nana Akufo Addo has always being anchored on policies that sought to establish strategic national development for the lasting interest of the country. His trademark campaign message for election 2012, christened FREE SHS, is one such policy that will change the fortunes of millions of people in our country by granting a fulfillment in the constitutional requirements of our country with regards to progressive actualization of free secondary education. The position of the National Democratic Congress’ presidential candidate was that, an attempt to roll out a FREE SHS would be a violation of the constitution which required such efforts to be progressive and not revolutionary. However, as it stands now, secondary education in Ghana is not progressively made free according to then candidate John Mahama, but progressively overly expensive. The current state of affairs regarding the cost of education points to a direction in the life of our country where many citizens by their millions will be denied their human and constitutional right to education not on the basis of the color or quality of their brains but on the basis of the weight of their pockets.

In all the respective areas examined on the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, there can be no comparison with any other presidential candidate whatsoever who succeeded or not in winning political power in Ghana. Bearing in mind the weight of Nana Akufo Addo, the strategy of opposition parties has been to attack him in ways and manner that will paint him as a monster not deserving the right to the castle. They have so succeeded mainly due to the fact that the communications of the New Patriotic Party have been tactfully weak and lacking in creativity. As a result, the masses of the people who do not have the benefit of knowing the truth about the personality of Nana Akufo Addo have so been made to dance in the songs of lies and slander about his person. Having contributed invaluably to securing a democratic order for his nation, it is unfair to allow political creativity and propaganda or the lack of it to deprive the prince of a deserved seat in the palace.

It can, therefore be concluded on all arguments that Nana Akufo Addo stands tall among presidential candidates in Ghana of all times but has missed out on the seat he well deserves because of tactful and slanderous propaganda against which his party’s machinery has failed to protect him from. On the back of the facts enumerated above, it can be concluded that Nana Akufo Addo will be the best presidential candidate in the history of Ghana but missed out on becoming president if he calls time on his political career just now.

By David Azuliya
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Email: apaladola@mail.com