History – How Kyebi Mafias Have Always Kept the UP/Danquah Busia Tradition in Opposition

Authored By: Afia Tweneboa Kodua, PhD /Ghanapoliticsonline.com

An alliance between Asante and Akyem has always been pivotal in the political arrangements and history of both the Gold Coast and Ghana.

Therefore, the stereotypically offensive utterances and aboriginal misdeeds and inglorious actions from Akufo-Addo and his supporters against the first northerner National Chairman Paul Afoko  in recent times gives credence to the fact Akufo-Addo is hellbent on repeating his uncle’s history in 1979. The uniquely  kind connection between the Northerner National Chairman Paul Afoko and Former President Kufour an ethnic Asante alongside other distinguish ethnic Asante noblemen such as Former Chief of Staff Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Dr Richard Anane, etc coupled with the genuinely natural, massive and an unfettered support from Asanteman for the sandema royal Chairman Paul Afoko, had been construed by the Kyebi mafias as the reincarnation of the historic and groundbreaking alliance between then official opposition Party- Northern Peoples Party and National liberation Movement that precipitated into the formation of the United Party as a result of the avoidance of discrimination act promulgated by then President Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

History has it that the Akyems are “mafia” and have never supported the Akans for any political gains. In the lead up to the 1979 general election, a struggle within the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition saw the breakaway and formation of the United National Convention (UNC) headed by a member of the “Kyebi mafia” Paa Willie, Ofori-Atta.

The Asante faction, the Popular Front Party (PFP), led by Victor Owusu went into the 1979 election already on a limping leg and lost the election as a result. It is alleged that the Asante rump has not forgotten and forgiven the UNC, and by extension Akyems, for this disaster.

Looking at the hooliganism that has engulfed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in recent times, it is quite obvious that Nana Akufo-Addo intends to repeat the 1979 bitter history of the UP Tradition. For those who might not know, Nana Akufo-Addo’s direct uncle, Mr. William Ofori-Atta (aka Paa Willie) resigned from the Popular Front Party (PFP) to form the United National Convention (UNC) after the latter had been beaten at the PFP Presidential primaries by Mr. Victor Owusu. Nana Akufo-Addo was the deputy General Secretary of UNC at the time. During the 1979 election run-off, Mr. William Ofori-Atta and Nana Addo urged all UNC members to vote for Dr. Hilla Liman of the People’s National Party (PNP).

As we all know, the PNP was an offspring of Kwame Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP). Eventually, Dr. Hilla Liman beat Victor Owusu to become the president of the 3rd Republic. Mr. William Ofori-Atta was subsequently appointed the Chairman of Council of State by Prez Limann and Nana Akufo-Addo instantly became his uncle’s personal secretary.

When Flt. Lt. Rawlings realised that Paa Willie was dictating to Prez. Limann, he staged the 31st December, 1981 coup d’état.

For some of us, it is no news because,

– Akufo-Addo’s “falsely adopted” grandfather, Dr. J.B. Danquah; in spite of his lead role in the UGCC, could not win the presidency in 1951 as well as his failure to represent the people of Abuakwa at the legislative Assembly;

– his father, Mr. Edward Akufo-Addo could not protect the presidency as a ceremonial head in 1972;

– his uncle, Paa Willie, divided the front of PFP;

– his fellow Akyem, Prof. Adu Boahen, kept NPP in opposition in 1992, boycotted Parliamentary elections whose bad shadows, till date haunts the NPP’S fortunes in certain constituencies, and

– Nana Addo himself set the first record of taking the NPP  from government into opposition in 2008. Nana Addo did his best to keep NPP in another 4-year opposition in 2012. Nana Akufo-Addo is the most luckiest flagbearer in the history of the NPP to have taken over a party from a sitting President, yet Akufo-Addo has proven and continues to prove that, he is if not worst, then he is the most worthless and worst flagbearer the NPP has ever had.

– Statistically, Nana Akufo-Addo has only been “competent” in the deliberate depreciation of the NPP’S fortunes and hard earned efforts from the party’s epic 52% in 2004 to 49% in 2008; then again, an insatiable Akufo-Addo further slumps the NPP fortunes from a the 49% below average proportion in 2008 to a very poor and a deplorable 47.74% in 2012.

– Nana Akufo-Addo has been very “helpful” in the devaluation of our party’s majority win of Regions from 6 regions in 2004 to 2 regions in 2008. Akufo-Addo further declined this appalling 2 regions to an inexcusable One and half regions, with the very region where he hails from (Eastern Region) recording an unacceptable diminishing

Nana Addo and his family (Akyems) have the history of keeping the UP and the Danquah Busia Tradition in opposition.

Ghanapoliticsonline.com