Blame the NDC, not Nana for absence

“I have asked the security agencies to deal decisively with any group persons who would want to disturb the peace and tranquility that we are enjoying in this nation” These words the exact words of Professor Mills, “ NDC President” of the Republic of Ghana who prefers to be called the 'Asomdwehene” and Father to all Ghanaians.

It must be borne in mind that the myopic and spreader of vicious propaganda, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, who, together with one of the body guards of the then candidate Mills, had 'duped' their party of $2,000.00 in respect of the Odododiodoo Bye Election had openly said that Nana Akufo Addo would not be invited by the Castle to any State Function because his political experience is limited to a ministerial position under the erstwhile Kufuor government.

This obnoxious policy had earlier been test run at Cape Coast during the Ogua Fetu Afahye, when the 'NDC State Protocol' was hijacked by the uncouth and arrogant Nii Lante Vanderpuye who had stated on air that the fumbling and wobbling NDC Government would never hand over to the NPP even if the latter wins the 2012 Elections and had personally led a detachment of Police men to physically prevent our flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo from going to greet the President and the Chiefs gathered for that function.

This barbaric and obnoxious behavior was repeated by Ama Benyiwa Doe, the Central Regional Minister who has been accused by the Regional Secretary of the party (NDC) of incompetence, inefficiency, mal-administration, vindictiveness and financial recklessness had constituted herself into a Jupiter on top of her Mount Olympus Residence to prevent the former Information Minister in Kufuor's administration, Asamoah Boateng from greeting the Chiefs and elders who had gathered to mourn the department of Asamoah Boateng's grand father.

This orchestrated and grand design of humiliating and cutting to size top NPP members was re-enacted at Akuapem-Akropong, Akufo-Addo's ancestral home when the NDC State Protocol again forcibly prevented Nana Akufo Addo from going to pay his respect to the chiefs and elders who had gathered at the function to celebrate the Odwira Festival.

Then, at the Presentation of the State of the Nation's Address, the President once again capitulated to the hawks in the NDC led by Koku Anyidoho who had openly said on air that he hates to see the face of ex-President Kufuor. The President's speech which had been prepared in advance, (obviously by Koku Anyidoho) refused to acknowledge not only Kufuor's presence but that of the Chief Justice. The President's later apology meant nothing because when his attention was drawn to the anomaly with shouts of “Chief Justice, Chief Justice” from the Minority side, our President, who prefers to be called “Father to all” was not in any compromising mood to entertain anything pertaining to the office of the Chief Justice. But when the Minority shouted “Dzi wo fie Asem” he turned away from his prepared speech and treated 'the dzi wo fie asem' mantra in his own special way.

But let me refer readers to the 2007 State of the Nations Address when the then Minority walked out on the President as he was delivering his Address. You see, Nana Akufo-Addo's presence, like that of David, electrifies every atmosphere, including gloomy ones. The NDC, like Saul, sees in Nana, a semblance of David, who will bring down their battlements, which they have carved in the mould of Goliath and so must do everything, including even the unthinkable to malign the good name and reputation of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Is it any wonder that Alhaji Bature, who, a few months earlier, had shouted to the highest heavens about the impeccable credentials of Nana, would commit hari-karri and turn round to talk about him in a most demeaning manner.

But why should that bother you? Have you forgotten what the women of Israel said about Saul and David after the later had slain Goliath? The women sang: “Saul (President Mills) hath slayed his thousands and David (Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) his ten thousands”. Yes, that was what the women said of David. And we, the masses are saying that in terms of popularity, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo now towers far above the lackadaisical, fumbling and wobbling Captain of Team B, with special apologies to Ex-President John Jerry Rawlings.

I throw an open challenge to the President and his men to allow the two statesmen (President Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo) to take a Popularity walk along the principal streets of Accra, and other Regional Capitals to see who is who. But such a walk should be devoid of the visible intimidating presence of Koku Anyidoho, Gbevlo Lartey and others.

You see, the NDC wanted an opportunity to humiliate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, but providence did not allow them to have their way. If the NDC really wanted to invite our Flag-Bearer, the most logical thing to do was to send an official invitation by addressing the card to him. But they did not, because one of their hawks, vampires, vultures, wolves, vicious and hissing serpents, rabid dogs, and greedy bastards had declared a fatwa on Nana Addo that he would be prevented from all public functions under the moribund NDC Administration because the highest credentials he has ever held was that of a Minister under ex-President Kufuor. What a weird and absurd reasoning or thinking! And as Alhaji Grunzah would say, “this is not for your thinking”!

If the NDC State Protocol had addressed the invitation officially to him as Flag-bearer of the NPP, and he refused to honour the invitation without any reason, then, we would have had a lot of explanations to do. But as it stands now, we don't have to dissipate our energy to give reasons. They sent us blank invitations and those invitations were given to members of the party. Na mo haw ne sen?” (What is their worry?) The ideal thing was for the NDC State Protocol to address the invitations to top officials of the party and add a few blank ones. By sending blank invitation cards, the NDC State Protocol had created the impression that every member of the party was equal.

Let the NDC not say that that was exactly what the NPP did when it was in power. If the NPP did that, it was bad, and we don't expect the NDC to follow the same path. But at least, it is on record what the NPP did in its attempt to persuade ex-President Rawlings to attend the Ghana @50 Celebrations. The Government sent a high powered delegation including some members of the Council of State to plead with the ex-President.

You see, the President's penchant to tow the hard line position of his party's functionaries will surely make it impossible for our party officials to honour invitations to national functions. Such events must be devoid of partisanship, for the moment we bring in party issues, then, such events lose their national significance. The mood and manner the President delivered his State of the Nation's Address and the insinuations and aspersions he cast on the character and credibility of our Flag-bearer was a prelude to the dangers that lurk ahead should Nana mistakenly venture into any “state gathering” of the NDC.

What will it profit our Flag-bearer and top members of the NPP to sit in a gathering of unfriendly faces to receive insults and invectives from a belligerent President in a “whimsical and capricious manner”? Did they extend similar invitations to the CPP, the PNC and the DFP? If they did not, why? And if they did and their leaders did not turn up, why take on Nana only?

Let me state, for the avoidance of doubt that the President recent “whimsical and capricious” mood during the State of the Nation's Address is ostracizing many Ghanaians from participating in national events. The President's manner of presentation, his actions and utterance till date have divided Ghanaians on the line of those who are for them (the NDC) and the rest of us.

You may call the NPP all sorts of names, but facts are facts and can never be hidden for long. What is the purpose of being a participant in an event where you are not wanted? After all, what has a grasshopper got to do in a gathering of animals? We have not forgotten what happened when the Transition Teams from both NPP and the NDC met at the State House after the 2008 Elections. Wasn't it only members of the NDC who participated in a looting spree by taking huge per-diem allowances and drinking the “mpampa tea”? I learnt in those days, NDC top members like Tony Aidoo and Asiedu Nketiah (who was highly in debt and had to fall on the generosity of Kennedy Agyepong, but is now 'raking' more than GHC50, 000 on daily basis as a results of his flagrant abuse of the constitution) would trek all the way to the State House where deliberations were held in order to “Chopulate” in the “tea mpampa” spree.

The actions and utterances of Professor Mills have taught us a lot of things and one is that one should walk cautiously in the midst of his enemies and always sleep with at least one eye opened. “Se wo maame atu wo fo a, yen nso yen maame atu yen fo (if you have been cautioned by your mother, we have also received similar cautions from our mothers). “If an animal runs very fast, the hunter learns to shoot his arrow faster” Shikina, the equation is balanced!

The call of patriotism does not come in here at all! Would they regard the recent strike action by Teachers as unpatriotic? No, it is not! If you are deliberately cheating me, do you expect me to remain quiet? After all, Jesus was not averse into using the whip on desecrators of the temple. It was Hitler who said that “every living thing which ceases to fight for its existence is doomed for extinction”. The NPP will not always remain the whipping boy of the NDC. The NDC has desecrated all National events and turned it into a party affair. What was the essence of wearing John (Atta Mills) and John (Mahama) T shirts to a national event like our independence celebration? And they call it a national event? May God have mercy on us?

Let no one get me wrong. I am not the official spokes-person for Nana Addo, and I do not purport to speak for him. But if I should, I would insist the NPP boycott all independence celebrations until the perpetrators of the heinous and gruesome murder of the Four NPP members in full glare of policemen at Agbogbloshie are brought to book. Yes, that should be our stance. The blood of Issa Mobillah is not more precious than those four murdered men at Agbogbloshie. The President, being a member of the Learned Profession and a devotee of Joshua Temitope Synagogue Church of All Nations must act and act very fast.

Now the NDC is singing praises of ex-President Kufuor after its vampires, vultures, wolves, rattle snakes, rabid dogs and greedy bastards had descended on him in an attempt to feast on his body. What names did Okudzeto Ablakwa, Koku Anyidoho, Omane Boamah, Fiifi Kwetey, Agbesi Nutsu, Kobby Acheampong, Hanna Bissiw, Allotey Jacobs, Stan Dogbe, Asiedu Nketiah and others not call ex-President Kufuor? One of those greedy bastards went to the ridiculous extent of asking the ex-President to shut up or else …..

But when they were in difficulty, they now realized their folly of calling him names. The apology the President delivered after his goof at the State of the Nations Address was to test the ground to see whether the ex-President would be amenable to the pleadings of his accusers, black-mailers and his enemies. I am reliably informed that the wobbling and fumbling Mills administration was finding it extremely difficult to access the second cache of the Millennium Challenge Account and had to fall back on the expertise of ex-President Kufuor who readily went to their assistance in a most 'necodamus' manner. Since then, the hawks have toned down their attacks and resorted to praising him. Well, wonders, they say, will never end.

But on a note of caution: I wasn't enthused at all with ex-President Kufuor's readily acceptance of the invitation to the Castle. I felt that the ex-President should have consulted the party hierarchy, who are his immediate constituents before accepting the invitation. Have you forgotten Kwabena Adjei and the many ways of killing a cat mantra? What did he say when he was invited by the Police? He was emphatic that the utterance was made at an NDC national Executives meeting and so he alone should not be held liable. Has Ex-President Kufuor forgotten the saying that one should be beware of Greek gifts, because they are dangerous and come with a price?

If after all that the NDC did to you, including sealing off your 'chosen office' without courtesy of informing you, denying you of your entitlements, including those of your staff, and then using their “Young Turks” to denigrate your good and hard-earned reputation, they still have the nerve to invite you to help them solve a problem, then, I think there is something wrong with members of the contraption.

But Mr. Ex-President, the next time they send you such an invitation, please, discuss it with party functionaries before accepting. The New Patriotic Party is one Big and United Party. We have elected Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as our Flag-Bearer. With your support and Prayers, Nana will prove to all detractors of our tradition that there is power in our determination to succeed in spite of the numerous odds. Under him, Ghana will surely attain the commanding heights of our economy. You can call him all sorts of names, but Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo remains unruffled in his efforts to change the tune of your music to melodious songs.

That is why we are asking you to embrace the tenets and ideals of Vision 2012. Are you ready to join us? Delay is dangerous. Why don't you enlist now? Nana All the Way! Nana leads and we follow.

Daniel Danquah Damptey
[email protected]
[email protected]