Web Master
For some days now officials of the Akufo Addo government had thought that the sacking of Mr Boakye Agyarko and the ministerial reshuffle had killed the AMERI scandal.
Indeed the government seemed to have gotten some reprief until the jaw dropping spat between the President Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo started leaking. We can now report that President Akufo Addo is not in talking terms with his Vice. And this was shown public at a recent state event which was well attended.
According to an eyewitness report which reveals what appears to be a well planned move by Mr Akufo Addo to disgrace and displace the Vice President and put him in his place, “the President walked into the place to cheers from the people in the hall. He shook everybody’s hand. But to my shock he walked straight past the Vice President without saying a word. The whole place became silent suddenly.”
Our investigations reveal that a stern warning was then given to the official Jubilee House media team to delete any evidence of the incident.
But that could not prevent the leak as we have in our possession incontrovertible evidence of a serious enmity between the President and his Vice.
The AMERI Deal Angle
Deep throat sources within the Jubilee House have reported on condition of strict anonymity that Dr Bawumia’s refusal to assist the President’s chosen persons to salvage the AMERI deal from the scandal it became is what angered the old man.
Another source said that “it was at a well attended state function that the man’s anger could not be hidden anymore. Everyone was in good spirit as Nana entered. Suddenly the place went quiet. I could not see the snub. But when I asked my Deputy who was next to me, he said, in shock, Nana just snubbed Bawumia.” At this point when my deputy spoke you could hear a needle drop. The shock was all over everyone’s face. Bawumia remained pinned to his seat during the event and looked visibly upset as his usual broad smile looked rather stern.”
It appears that the AMERI scandal has deepened divisions within the government. Dr Mahamoudu Bawumia who has been a project of Mr Gabby Asare Otchere Darko since he was first selected by by Candidate Akufo Addo in the 2008 elections, is no more in good terms with his man.
Even though the AMERI deal tipped the scale of animosity between Dr Bawumia and his tele-guardians, preceding developments started the distrust. The former BOST boss, Mr Alfred Obeng Boateng was thought to be loyal to Nana Akufo Addo. However, following the involvement of the President in clearing the man in the contaminated fuel scandal, Mr Otchere Darko and his uncle found out that the man he cleared was rather loyal to Dr Bawumia.
Other inside sources in the Jubilee house have hinted us earlier that due to the Vice President’s promise to Mr Boakye Agyarko of making the latter his running mate, the former energy Minister strengthened his alliances with Mr Boateng and fortified the sector in line with that promise and his personal ambition.
It would be recalled that, in late July Mr Gabby Asare Otchere Darko made a telling Facebook post chastising a certain un-named minister for being over-ambitious. He wrote, “If you are a minister with a greater ambition, please learn from Akufo-Addo when he was in your position…. Be loyal and committed to the mandate you have today….”. It is clear that Mr Otchere Darko’s focus on the word “loyal” was not by accident. It has everything to do with two points of disappointment he held against Mr Boakye Agyarko. The first is that he is over-ambitious. But the second which observers say angers the ruling family is the seeming belief by Mr Agyarko that Nana Akufo Addo is incapable of going the long haul which is what is betrayed in the minister’s acceptance of Mr Bawumia’s offer.
When oil blocks were being allocated the choices made by Mr Agyarko got Mr Darko to firmly conclude that treachery was on course. What broke the Carmel’s back was when the Vice President refused to help salvage the image of the President at the height of the AMERI scandal. And it was soon after that refusal that the President decided to publicly snub his Vice.
Many appointees are apprehensive in the government now. Some even fear a replay of the Rawlings-Arkaah debacle except that in this current replay the physically stronger man is rather the Vice. One would wonder who would slap and floor who. Would President Akufo Addo follow his public flooring of his Vice with an administrative one? Or would it require the use of some other forces?
For now what Ghanapoliticsonline knows is that all is not well at the seat of government.
Report by Kingley Lakle
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings