Happy Birthday Addo-D, The Great One | Features

It is a Good Friday, March 29, 2024, and on this day, Christians around the world believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for humanity in order to save us from our sins. It also marks the birthday of the father and president of the nation, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, The Great One (TGO). 80 years on this planet and in this country called Ghana is a great feat, Happy birthday, TGO.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the average life expectancy in Ghana is 66.3 years, as of 2019, so having chalked 80 years is indeed remarkable and calls for celebration. Moreover, biblically, from Psalm 90:10 (ESV), I quote, *The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away*. Unquote.

TGO, many are those who would not see their 80th birthday, so whatever you have done to cross this milestone must be emulated. May God give you more grace and wisdom, and may He grant you favor and love in all your endeavors.

TGO, you have spent greater part of this life serving humanity and yearning for the best for your people and country. Some of us have followed you since our primary school days, and we are still following you. Your conviction to change the fortunes of Mother Ghana has stayed with us since you declared your intention to run for president. It would have been a disappointment in the minds of many if Ghana never saw you lead her. You are now in the final leg of your presidency, and your legacy as president has taken shape, so people can make a fair judgment about it.

TGO, I believe strongly that your achievements far surpass those of the NDC in all aspects of governance. It will be erroneous for any fair minded person to even make that comparison. However, I equally believe that your achievements lagged far behind your own convictions or what you made us to believe. We believed you were the messiah, we believed you had the keys to unlock our troubles, we believed you embodied the solutions to all our challenges; and we believed you were the epitome of meritocracy.

TGO, Your political skill is unmatched, and your persuasion skill is next to none. You have changed the game of politics within our party, the NPP, for good and bad reasons. You have introduced politics of no non-sense, politics of loyalty, politics of we vs. them, politics of control, and politics of family and friends in the political fraternity of the NPP, and this mark will stay indelible in the party for a very long time.

The politics of no non-sense I mean, you are ruthless in your desires. Any obstacle in front of you must be dismantled by either fair or foul means to get to your goals. You have unseated MPs and party executives at will. Your penchant for dismissal and suspension of party folks is legendary, and it has trickled down to the grassroots, where these actions have become rampant. You have overtly championed certain political courses that are alien to the NPP, for example, the dismissal of the leadership of the Afoko led NPP administration.

Yes, loyalty is critical in the game of politics, however, political rewards must not only be enjoyed by the loyalist or your close associates, especially within the same party. That posture has the tendency of weakening the party from the base. Now it is a we versus them kind of game where those who do not find favor with either you or any of your loyalists are left behind, irrespective of the key roles they played in the party to make you the president. Remember, before you became president, many who were not within your close circles had worked vehemently for you. Do you remember your promise to the parliamentary candidates for the 2016 parliamentary elections? You said results and rewards , meaning whoever performs well and give you good results in their constituency will be rewarded, What happened to that pledge?

Your predecessor, J. A. Kufuor, rewarded so many hard working party folks who openly campaigned against him and, in some cases, totally disliked him. However, for the sake of the progress of the party, he paid no heed and never stood in their way of political progression.

NPP now weaker than ever, but this weakness serves only one purpose: a deliberate ploy to arrogate all powers to the seat of government for the presidency to control party affairs from its seat. The party has no muscle and no teeth to bite. The party can not make any move unless you have sanctioned it; this practice is foreign to the United Party (UP) tradition that begot the NPP. In the UP, which your forebears sacrificed so much to build, the party is the mother and must be made stronger at all times to be able to beget healthy offspring (the government). However, it seems you are practicing the opposite. This weakness has not served your government any good. Your presidency is the only one under the fourth republic to have the opposition as the Speaker of Parliament. So whatever the intentions might be, it has no or little benefit to either your legacy or the party in the long run.

We have only 7 months to go for an election, a historic election indeed, which has already changed the political landscape of the NPP and also Ghana. The first time a non-Akan is leading the charge for the NPP, victory for the NPP will also mean the first time any party has won three consecutive elections. So the stakes are quite high, and lot will depend on you to make this happen.

TGO, the only legacy that you can leave the NPP for your name to be hailed and adored is to ensure an NPP president succeeds you after your exit on January 7, 2025. You have personally made this pronouncement on several platforms, but the question many are asking is: do you really want this to happen?. Are you giving Dr Bawumia all the ammunition he needs to make this happen? This must not be only rhetoric but action-oriented pledges that must be well demonstrated. Dr. Bawumia should be made to fill any new vacant position you may create in your government from now until December 2024, and he must be made to implement some of the good policies he has promised Ghanaians, for example, the abolishment of the e-levy and many others. TGO, it is possible only if you want it to be possible, so please make it possible.

TGO, It is undeniable that at 80 years old, you are full of wisdom, and having spent most of these years in politics also means you are full of political wisdom. So obviously, there are things you see that we don’t see, so pardon me if I don’t see what you see, hopefully one day we will also see what you are seeing. Until then, we wish you a happy birthday and more Godly blessings as you enter your ninth decade on planet Earth.

O.T
Kwadaso Constituency.
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