Ken Ofori-Atta’s Long Hand Disastrous to NPP Than Covid and Russia Ukraine War

Not only Covid, but also Russia-Ukraine war, was NPP’s excuse for their woeful economic performance. Though data from 2019 proves the economy was on wrong path to getting lost, the NPP listen to non other but themselves, claiming they have the men.

Covid landed safely in Ghana on 12th March, 2020 with two cases recorded. The NPP as usual, the ‘lootpreneurs’ that they are, decided to take advantage of it to crash the economy and load their packets with precious ornaments. They got richer but the people got poorer.

Covid and Russia-Ukraine War was just an excuse but the truth is the president, his family and friends do not just care. According to the Auditor General, government spend a huge amount of GH¢21.84 billion raised through the Contingency Fund, World Bank, IMF, AfDB, EU and sale of BoG-Covid 19 bonds for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.

These spendings do not add any positive results to the economy as growth averaged 3 percent for the three years. Our neighours who are equally affected had better GDP’s with Burkina Faso recording 3.6 percent, Ivory Coast and Togo each recording 4.8 percent. We must not forget Dr. Bawumia’s usual comparison of Ghana with Ivory Coast in opposition.

Truth is the GH¢21.84 billion was stored under their beds. They were determined to get richer and the NPP paid the heavy price in the polls with a historic gap of 1.67 million votes in the presidential elections.

Reports appears in the news that Freddy Blay has indicated that Covid-19 and Russian-Ukraine war caused the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections. “We’ve gone through some crisis or the other. The COVID-19 was one of the factors why we lost. The start of the Russian-Ukraine war led to the economic crisis that we have faced. It led to a GDP diving to less than 2%. It led to several crisis that the world was facing that we’re part of. It affected the management and husbandry of the economy.”

This is disingenuous because data show both Russia and Ukraine ecomomies are healthier than Ghana. They have neither defaulted on their debt obligations nor have they suffered the kind of currency depreciation we have suffered.

Having dismissed the excuses, it is now important to proceed to explain Ken's role in NPP’s lost. According to Hon. Appiah-Kubi on Tv3 Weekend show, Ken was more powerful than that of President Nana Addo. Ken does what he believes is right without giving anybody including president Nana Addo an ear.

Appiah-Kubi proceeded to add; “he came to our meeting and said that I procured this victory for us. That was the first time I stood up and say my friend what are you saying. I didn't see your hand in Asante Akyem North. So if you help people to procure victory, I didn't see you in Asante Akyem North. It cannot be the case that, you as a singular person, procured victory for everybody.”

Having challenged Ken on this claim, Ken decided to show Appiah-Kubi who actually procured victory for the NPP in 2016 and 2020. Ken and his state capture allies decided to plant candidates against Appiah-Kubi and his team of rebels who want Ken out as the Finance Minister. A good number of them lost the NPP parliamentary primaries and those who survived were made to face independent candidates in the elections.

Clearly, Ken wanted to prove to Appiah-Kubi that he (Ken) procured victory for the NPP. So he decided to stretch his long hand to Asante Akyem North and before Appiah-Kubi could realize, his seat is stolen for an independent candidate. Appiah-Kubi forcefully resigns from active politics. This was not done to only appiah-Kubi but any NPP candidate who proves to be recalcitrant against the state captures and the lootpreneurs.

Yes, Ken partly caused NPP defeat, first, by taking advantage of Covid to waste public funds for family and friends and second by causing the downfall of NPP parliamentary contestants who feel Ken was an enemy to the economy.

The various diagnoses Dr. Bawumia and the NPP keep giving for their lost must not be listened. Anyone who believes in these wrong diagnoses can feed a wild lion without seeking cover. Do not be deceived. The true length of the frog is now known. The NPP lost because they were inconsiderate towards one another and also very incompetent in managing the economy.