Will Akufo-Addo Learn This Time Around? The Question Of Ghana’s Peace

It is with interest that I read the accolades being showered on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2012 flag bearer for petitioning the courts.

Surprisingly, it has gone as far calls for him to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But those shouting Akufo-Addo's praises seem to have a short memory. The NPP under his leadership has not been the 'best of times' for Ghana's peace. If things are calm today, we must celebrate the goodwill of well-meaning Ghanaians and the reassuring measures taken by the government, Supreme Court and so forth.

What was the big deal, being as Akufo-Addo is not above the law, in seeking redress at the court? For all the panic in some quarters, 'hell' was never going to break loose in Ghana. No government, given the situation, was going to sit back and do nothing. From the declaration of the results in December 2012 to today, Ghana remains peaceful, stable and hopeful. But with the Petition now history, Akufo-Addo is left with the post-mortem of what went wrong yet again. Acceptance of the verdict even though he does not agree with it is not going to lessen this fact. .

From the outside, the NPP under Akufo-Addo looks like a 'hornet's nest' overrun by mischief-makers, hotheads and troublemakers. With this backdrop, even his pertinent free education concept proved to be a 'hard-sell'.

This, to me, handed the initiative to John Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, whose rather 'cool, calm and collected approach complemented the Better Ghana Agenda. Succinctly, the 'e dey be K3K3' slogan was the crucial reassurance for voters amidst the worrisome 'noises' from the 'NPP camp'.

For the first time in Ghana's political history, everyone saw how Jerry Rawlings, the Asantehene and other leading figures went all out to ensure that the elections were peaceful. With the National Peace Council, religious leaders and key establishments like the media all doing their bit, the obvious was stated to the electorate.

When it came to the crunch, even the cordial exchange between Rawlings and Akufo-Addo at the former president's residence could not convince Ghanaians to forfeit the 'peace settlement' under Mills and Mahama to enter uncharted territory.

Is it just an image problem or a case of the 'chickens coming home to roost' for the NPP 2012 flag bearer? The snag for those trying to portray Akufo-Addo's as a peacemaker or unifier is that political rebranding does not happen overnight or on the say-so of words alone.

I, like many Ghanaians, believe that Akufo-Addo has a lot of soul-searching to do, one way or the other. Specifically, there has been too much 'water under the bridge' with the 'firebrands' in the NPP. Nonetheless, no amount of badgering could stop Ghanaians exercising their constitutional rights.

It is true as the saying goes; 'you can't change the past'. But to be fair, aspects of Akufo-Addo's statement after the Supreme Court's verdicts sounded promising. But a retraction of the 'all-die-be-die' statement which was 'fuel to the fire' that the last elections did not need would have turned over a new leaf. By not doing this, he is still left with the colossal challenge of how to curb elements within the NPP that think it is normal to talk about turning Ghana into Afghanistan, making it ungovernable and accusing its citizenry of apathy for not colluding to wreck their state.

To be taken seriously, Akufo-Addo must look at scenes of the NPP 'rank and file', for example, trooping to the offices of the Electoral Commission (EC) or residential properties on the basis of hearsay as costly mistakes. Similarly, his party has to stop hounding of its own members for speaking their minds. On the Petition, however, Ghanaians will have their opinions or views on the evidence presented at the Supreme Court. But I for one cannot see what was peaceful or 'democracy-friendly' about seeking the annulment of millions of votes just to clear the way for Akufo-Addo to become president.

For obvious reasons, the country is compelled to reflect on the last few months. It will be interesting, politically, to see what lessons come out of Justice William Atuguba's telling and timely statement about some people 'growing horns' thinking that they can ride over the State, run down everyone and mislead ordinary people and poison their minds. Politics, ultimately, should be about improving the country and not seeking its destruction. Ghanaians, yet again, have made it clear to all politicians not just Akufo-Addo where they stand on peace and stability.

About the writer;

The writer is an educationalist, development strategist and consultant particularly known for his work in the areas of community development. Richmond, an advocator of racial justice, has operated at all levels. He is an accomplished and published writer, and has had articles in the Voice, Pride Magazine and The Northern Journal notwithstanding his contribution in the book Black Families in Britain as the Site of Struggle, published by Manchester University Press. Richmond sports post-graduate qualifications in management and teaching including an MBA from the Bradford School of Management and also enjoys a successful career in the music business.