If you have watched President Nana Akuffo Addo the last few days at once bemoan the lack of civility in our national discourse and decry the “dirty tactics” of his opponents, you would assume, however, erroneously that he is a political neophyte, a “Johnny just come.”
A newcomer stumbling into the rough and tumble of Ghanaian politics, Mr. Addo clearly isn’t; a seasoned and tested politico, he very much is. So why the presidential fury? Nana’s angst stems in large measure from the myriad of corruption scandals swirling around his administration.
From BOST, to inflated ministerial budgets, a perception that the NPP is no different from its primary foe —the NDC—-which it ousted in last years’s election has been forged. “They are all corrupt,” is the popular refrain among Ghanaians.
Visibly angered by the taunts of his opponents who he has accused of smearing him and the NPP with unproven charges of corruption, the President on a visit to the Eastern region last week, vowed to finally begin the long promised prosecution of ex public officials who fed fat at the public trough — those who embezzled funds
OK Nana, Ghanaians are waiting with bated breath to see if your promise this time will materialize.
Nana’s revulsion at being labeled corrupt is confounding, granted nothing has been proven in a court of law. But didn’t he, during the height of the 2016 election campaign weaponized the terms “corruption and incompetence” and used them disparagingly but effectively against Mr. John Mahama and his cohorts?
We all expected Nana to know better, at least to be cognizant of the fact that once he was ensconced in the comfort of the Flagstaff House, the smear campaign would begin in earnest, that his opponents were going to spare no effort in challenging his policies, that they were going to hurl charges, sometimes spurious, of graft and corruption at his government and calling into question everything he does, all in a bid to unsettle him and make governance a nightmare?
Nana is no stranger to political battles; over the years he has been involved in fierce fights for political survival and has lost some and won some. His opponents aren’t pushovers either. They will continue to mount stiff opposition to his policies. All I can say is that the remainder of his first term promises to be full of fireworks.
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