Nana Addo rebuffs Arthur K’s charges

Below are two statements by Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy and Mrs Oboshie Sai Coffie over the leadership struggles within the New Patriotic Party.
The first by Dr Kennedy, accused Nana Addo of being behind the confusion in the party, while the second, from Nana Addo’s camp, denies the charges.

THE CRISIS IN THE NPP
Irmo, SC
21ST August, 2014

Two days ago, a press conference being addressed by the Chairman and General Secretary of the NPP, Paul  Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, was disrupted.
 
According to media reports, “An angry mob of gun-totting and machete-wielding youth stormed the party’s Headquarters and disrupted a press conference that was being addressed by Chairman Afoko and GS Kwabena Agyapong.” In response, there have been numerous statements and interviews. Notable amongst these have been statements from former President Kufuor, former Presidential Candidate Nana Akufo-Addo and Presidential aspirant Alan Kyerematen. Many of the statements have called for calm and unity and urged compromise—as if there are two sides at fault.

The fact is that the Afoko and Agyapong were holding a press conference to respond to accusations leveled against them by others in the party when they were attacked.

There were injuries and the police had to be called in. This attack was not the first attempt to use violence and intimidation in settling differences in the NPP in recent times. In 2013, a group of party activists invaded former President Kufuor’s house and tried to forcibly prevent him from attending President Mahama’s inauguration. Last year, after Charles Wereko-Brobbey answered the party’s summons to appear before the Disciplinary Committee, there was an attempt to lynch him and it required about twenty police officers to extricate him from the party Headquarters. In addition to these acts of violence, there have been intimidations of NPP members on air and through text messages. As President Kufuor rightly and forcefully pointed out, “Thuggery is not part of our tradition. It is alien to us.” The former President continued that “Those responsible for the disturbances cannot claim to be true members of the NPP”. Unfortunately, those responsible for these things are not only claiming to be NPP. They assert that they are more NPP than the rest of us.

The activities of last Tuesday, as well as those against President Kufuor, Tarzan, Pianim and others are disgraceful. They have embarrassed all of us and they must cease. These actions and attitudes used to be the preserve of the NDC. It is sad that they have found a home in our party that used to be celebrated for tolerance.

These activities have demoralized many NPP members.

They have caused us the support of legions of floating voters who are aghast that we would  attack our own so viciously even while hoping to get the support of reasonable Ghanaians.

The reason for all that is happening is simple. Afoko, Agyapong and others won in Tamale against the wishes of those who told the delegates prophetically, “Yentumi ne won nnye adwuma” (We cannot work with them). Consistent with that vow, there has been a shameful and undemocratic desire to nullify the mandates that Afoko and Agyapong won in Tamale. That is what this crisis is about. It is not about Perry Okudzeto or the Security guys at the Headquarters. After all, if Jake and Sir John could be sent home why can’t Hammond and Okudzeto be sent home? If Antwi Agyei could be re-assigned to menial duties and late Asem could be fired without any noise, why can’t Perry proceed on leave? After all, as Vice-Chairman Crabbe has pointed out, the General Secretary runs the Secretariat while the Chairman runs the party. 

The truth is that those who wrongly  believe that they are NPP royalty and therefore should control this party are unhappy with the election of Paul and Agyapong and want to reverse the Tamale election.

Here is what we should do.

First, we should stop protecting criminals who operate in the political space. Those who invaded the NPP headquarters with guns and machetes are not politicians—they are criminal and hooligans and they should be dealt with by the law--- together with the big men and women behind them.

Second, the youth must stop believing that the elders who are encouraging them to be violent while their own children live safely abroad will protect them when they get into trouble.

Third, we must respect the mandate that was conferred on Afoko, Agyapong and others  in Tamale. Nobody has a divine and exclusive right to control NPP.

Fourth, we must call out those who are behind the disturbances. It is obvious, upon careful reflection that these hooligans—from Kufuor’s house through Tamale to the party Headquarters are being organized, encouraged, inspired and motivated by or on behalf of the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. While he is a good man, he has permitted a lot of bad things to be done in his name.  Even though those doing those things may be adults that he cannot control, he can forthrightly condemn violence and insults and dissociate himself from those who traffic in them. He has not done so. As these failures pile up, Ghanaians are increasingly asking whether the candidate who is actively dividing his party can—as President, unite Ghana. Respectfully, Nana must know that he cannot reach the Presidency standing on the ashes of a divided, demoralized and disgraced NPP.

Fifth, I urge people of integrity in our party to raise their voices and halt the descent of our party into violence and factionalism.

Respectfully, let the likes of Frimpong Boateng, Dan Botwe, Ama Busia, Appiah-Menka, Ayikoi Otoo, Nyahoe Tamakloe  and Reverend Asante-Antwi stand up-- led by Kufuor and help Afoko and Agyapong succeed. If they fail, we will fail.

Finally, our nation needs a viable alternative to the NDC. That alternative should be the NPP—provided that we can stop convincing Ghanaians that we do not deserve their mandate.

Let us move forward together—in unity, respect and love.

Kukruduuu!!!

Arthur Kobina Kennedy


RESPONSE TO ARTHUR K’S MALICIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST AKUFO-ADDO
 
It has been the practice of the Office of Nana Akufo-Addo to ignore the numerous publications made by Dr. Kennedy against Nana Akufo-Addo, but the gravity of his latest allegation leaves us no choice. The Office has read an article published on the internet by Dr Kennedy Arthur, in which he, like others before him, condemns the shameful and unwarranted violence that occurred at the headquarters of the New Patriotic Party during a news conference held by Messrs Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong, National Chairman and General Secretary of the party, respectively.
 
But, as has become characteristic of the former presidential aspirant of the NPP, who received at the 2007 NPP presidential primary one (1) vote out of two thousand two hundred and ninety three (2,293) valid votes, he could not help but to drag the name of Nana Akufo-Addo into the matter. In his article, Dr Kennedy falsely and outrageously accused Nana Akufo-Addo as being “behind the disturbances.”
 
He wrote, “It is obvious, upon reflection that these hooligans – from [President] Kufuor’s house through Tamale to the party headquarters are being organized, encouraged, inspired and motivated by or on behalf of the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”
 
We find this statement a preposterous lie, motivated by nothing but pure malice against a man who brought him out of political obscurity to become Director of Communications of the NPP's 2008 presidential campaign. His reflection is totally unfounded and baseless. We have observed a level of predictability and persistence in many of Dr Kennedy’s writings attacking the personality of Nana Akufo-Addo.
 
While he is entitled to his opinion on Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Kennedy is not entitled to manufacture his own false set of facts in pursuit of his hate campaign against Nana Akufo-Addo.
 
The Office of Nana Akufo-Addo finds it most irresponsible on the part of Dr Kennedy to accuse, without any shred of evidence, Nana Akufo-Addo of being behind the senseless acts of violence that took place at the party headquarters and the unfortunate protest that took place at the residence of the former President on January 7, 2013.
 
Though, Dr Kennedy’s statement gave no specific instance of the so-called acts of hooliganism in Tamale that he has accused Akufo-Addo of organizing or instigating, we wish to state, for the avoidance of doubt, that Akufo-Addo has never been behind any act of hooliganism in Tamale or anywhere else, for that matter. Violence is simply not in Akufo-Addo’s constitution.
 
We wish to make it clear to the likes of Dr. Arthur Kennedy that no amount of vile propaganda can erase Akufo-Addo’s four decades of exemplary public record. Nana Akufo-Addo, since his involvement in the PMFJ agitations against Gen Acheampong’s military dictatorship in the 1970s, through the Alliance For Change's massive demonstrations of the mid-1990s, until the 2012 presidential election challenge, has always used nothing but his courage, wisdom and the rule of law to fight for the causes that he believes in and believes to be in the interest of the people of Ghana.
 
His evidence-based reputation as a peaceful, principled patriot of this country is both nationally and internationally acknowledged and respected.
 
Dr Kennedy, unfortunately, has become increasingly predictable and persistent in his negative campaigns against Nana Akufo-Addo for reasons best known to himself. We can only wish that the mercy of the Good Lord shall touch his heart and channel his negative energy into things that would help promote the positive interest of his party and country. We believe he has the capacity to do so if he applies his mind to it.
 
……signed……
Oboshie Sai Coffie