Ghana’s atmosphere of freedom under threat –says Former President John Kuffour
Zack Ohemeng Tawiah – Ghana’s immediate past President; John Agyekum Kufuor says security in that West African state under current President John Evans Atta Mills has not been the best.
Giving what would be describe as a clear assessment of the 2-year old administration of his successor, Mr. Kuffour said the ‘rule of law has been put in bracket somehow’: accusing the Mills-administration of threatening the atmosphere of freedom.
He says Ghana’s economy has since his departure as President has stalled, a situation he blames on President Mills administration.
It was Mr. Kuffuor, a former African Union Chairman’s first public speech in several months to charged members of the main opposition New Patriotic Party in Accra on Saturday, few moments before electing flag bearer for 2012 general elections.
Though some political pundits have described the comments as unimpressive comments about President Mills’s style of government, Mr. Kuffuor minced no words when he said “Corruption is becoming incarnate. We see corruption everywhere.”
According to Mr. Kuffuor, the ruling National Democratic Congress capitalized on it to campaign against the NPP in the 2008 elections, it is now become endemic in the country.
He told party supporters at the Afua Sutherland Park in the capital Accra that, it is only the NPP that can “restore the rule of law and give real meaning to transparency and accountability” in Ghana.
The former AU chairman won consecutive four year two-term elections under the New Patriotic Party between 2000 and 2008.
About 115,000 delegates in 229 constituencies nationwide took part in the congress to elect flag bearer.
It was the first time that huge numbers of party supporters were taken part in the election of party leader in Ghana’s politics that saw the re-election of Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, 2008 flagbearer.
Nana Akuffo-Addo, former Attorney General in Mr. Kuffuor’s administration polled overwhelming 70 per cent of the votes, leaving his closest contender, Allan Kyerematen and three others trailing with 30 per cent.
Mr Kufuor said, ‘by the result today, the party has decided emphatically… and telling the country and the world that the party is strongly united, it is strongly focused, and the single focus is that in 2012, it is going to redeem Ghana… the power is coming back to power 2012.”
The former president told members of the party to “bury the pettiness” they engaged in during the campaign now that the election is over.
He congratulated the other four contestants for their resolve to support the party to move forward.
He also congratulated Nana Akufo-Addo for emerging the victor in the five-man race which ended on August 7, 2010, and asked all to rally behind him for victory come 2012.
Nana Akufo-Addo contested against Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, heart surgeon and also former Chief Executive Officer of Korle Teaching Hospital in Accra, Member of Parliament for Subin in Kumasi- Isaac Osei, Rev Kwame Koduah, a lawyer and Mr. Alan Kyerematen, former Trade Minister in Mr. Kuffuor’s administration.
