An Open Letter To Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo

Office Of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Accra- Ghana
Dear Sir,
CALL KENNEDY AGYAPONG TO ORDER OR DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THE ANTI-ASHANTI AGENDA

I pray you are in good health, especially, after the hectic Tamale congress. I have been reading in the newspapers about your ongoing campaign and I wish you all the best.

Sir, it has been over a week now that the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, openly insulted Ashantis, Former President John Kufour, Dr Richard Anane and Mr Kwadwo Mpianim during a radio interview on Adom FM.

Leadership, they say is by example, Nana I expected you and your campaign team to muster courage and condemn the vile utterance of your campaign coordinator, Kennedy Agyapong, which is gaining grounds in many parts of the Ashanti Region.

So many people in the region have expressed their disappointment in the statement by Kennedy, especially, the one which seeks to drag the name of the Asantehene, Otumfour Osei Tutu ll and the entire Manhyia Palace in the mud.

I must admit that I am very disappointed in you for not coming out to distance yourself from what Kennedy Agyapong said.You have failed to demonstrate the leadership qualities that you boast of having.

Your loud silence on the matter speaks volumes of your endorsement of the interview Kennedy granted on the Adom FM's political show. What is surprising is that, Kennedy Agyapong revealed that he was speaking in your presence.

Nana, this smear campaign by some of your front-line campaigners is creating a bad perception for our party and I am calling on you as a matter of urgency to come out and condemn the utterances of Kennedy Agyapong or better still, distance yourself from the wild allegations.

Let me also add that the allegations and insults that your supporters keep on heaping on Otumfour and some chiefs in Ashanti as brains behind your failure is unfounded and baseless. The Ashanti region is the "world bank" of our party, where majority of our votes emanate during general elections, so the attempt by Kennedy Agyapong to insult the very people that keeps on voting for us must never be tolerated.

Nana, so after shamefully allowing your supporters, especially, Kennedy Agyapong to denigrate our King, Otumfour Osei Tutu II, would you have the guts to walk into the Manhyia Palace to pay a courtesy call on him?

If you don't support the utterances and insults of Kennedy Agyapong on Otumfour and Ashantis, then please come out and distance yourself from it before any damage is caused.

Respectfully, I am at a loss why many of your supporters still want to create the impression that Former President John Kufour was responsible for your defeat in the previous elections. This perception of your supporters have courted some hatred for the former President both in our party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Ghanaian public at large which I think is very unfortunate and below the belt. Some even insult him in public based on this blatant lie which has been fed into their minds.

Nana, I am sure you yourself acknowledge the diverse roles that Mr Kufour played in the campaign for your quest to be elected president of this nation. He campaigned with you in almost all the constituencies and this is a matter of public knowledge that nobody can dispute. He supported you materially and financially, by giving you all necessary logistics needed for the campaign. I am sure everybody knows that you were given ministerial appointments by Mr Kufour in both the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Attorney-General Ministry.

Sir, I remember very well that on Friday, 30th May, 2014 you issued a press statement to discredit the claim and perception that the former President did not support your bid for the presidency in both the 2008 & 2012 elections. I quote from the statement " In 2008, President Kufuor, when President of the Republic, supported fully my bid to become president of our country and gave me his unstinting assistance. Likewise, in 2012, the support I received from him was unflinching, as it was during the entire course of the now famous election petition”.

So I humbly ask: Did your supporters read the statement or not? If they did, why are they still blaming our distinguished father for your defeat?

Why the attempt to draw Mr Kufour's image into disrepute like what is happening now? As Kennedy Agyapong added that Dr Richard Anane and Kwadwo Mpianim are collaborating with Kufour to make sure you are not elected by our able delegates.

Is this meant to draw some sympathy for your candidature or what?

Lastly, ex-president Kufour is the most successful leader in the history of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition and your supporters must accord him the deserve respect in the party and must be hailed by all members of the party. He is not contesting any position in the party neither does his he declared support for a particular candidate.

Nana, I hesitate to say this but it must be said. We will not forgive you for the excuses you keep on giving us for failing to deliver power for our party in both the 2008 & 2012 elections. Your supporters and loyalists have in a way or other been the architects of your failure to win the presidency for our great party and I call you to distance yourself from their abusive language against ex-president Kufour and all party member or elders who supports a candidate apart from your good self.

It is no doubt that Ghanaians are crying for the NPP to return to solve the numerous problems we are facing today. In doing so, we as the opposition party must present a unifier and someone who can win the presidency for us. We must not lead a divided front into the battle. So all these divisive statements by your supporters and front line campaigners which seek to blame others for our losses will not be accepted by the electorates.

As the adage goes "panin ntena fie mma asedua mfo". It is my humble plea that you will come out and condemn the utterances of your campaign co-ordinator for the Western and Central regions Kennedy Agyapong especially those deemed ethnocentric which could inflame passions to serve as deterrent to your other supporters.

I am certain that your very able spokesman, Mustapha Hamid, will bring my letter to your attention.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours Sir.

Sincerely Yours

.............
Alexander Sledge
(Manhyia South Constituency)