Presidential candidate-Ghana - The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has described Thursday February 17, 2011, when President Mills delivered his State of the Nation Address, as the darkest day in the political history of the country. According to him, instead of telling Ghanaians the true state of the nation, the President rather used the day to launch blistering attacks on his political opponents, using his 'all die be die' statement as the weapon. President Mills, he asserted, has been bad news for this country.

The NPP presidential candidate, who was addressing a news conference at Ho in the Volta Region yesterday, said over the past two years, the NPP had observed with concern, the selective manner in which the law was being applied by the state against those perceived to be political opponents of the President Mills-led government, which the media has helped in exposing such evil in society.

He said the NPP had repeatedly called on President Mills to take decisive actions to protect Ghanaians, including supporters of the major opposition party, who had suffered what he called barbaric acts, citing the victims of the Agbobloshie market attack, Atiwa, Chereponi and Akwatia bye-elections as examples.

Nana Akufo-Addo said it was surprising that despite the numerous calls on the President, by the main opposition, to ensure peace and order in the last two years, the President preferred to label the complainant as a war-monger, and threatened to clamp down on those who complain.

"Let the President and his army of propaganda warriors be assured that they would not succeed in their deliberate propaganda mongering against the NPP and I. Instead of using that august opportunity to address these legitimate concerns, he opted to speak as the leader of a political party on an imaginary battlefield. We wish to remind him that until January 7, 2013, he is the President of this nation of 24 million people of rich, diverse backgrounds and pan-tribal unity."

Nana said the statement made by the President, to put security agencies on "red alert," and that they would be under strict instructions to deal decisively with anybody or group of persons who would attempt to disturb the peace and stability of the country, was subsequently explained by his spokespersons to mean his direct political opponents. This, he noted, was very unfortunate.

He said not only was the President out of touch with the concerns of the people and increasing sufferings of the ordinary Ghanaians, but was equally out of touch with his own political history, contemporary, and past, noting that the country had travelled down the road of chaos and anarchy, and that was why he, as the presidential candidate of the NPP, was insisting that the gains of the people of Ghana be protected.

"President Mills should rather concentrate on calling his people to order, crackdown on the lawlessness from his own camp, and free up the security agencies to perform their constitutional duties without fear or favour, to protect all citizens from aggression and violence."

Nana Akufo Addo explained that the slogan "All Die Be Die" came as a result of NPP party activists being reduced to second class citizens, and becoming victims of discrimination, intimidation, aggression, and incarceration, without protection from the state, and they knew well what it was meant by the "All Die Be Die" slogan, which is meant for them not to engage in violent acts.

He said the slogan was a defensive exhortation, and that it was a call to the victims of aggression to stand firm, and if need be, defend themselves against the aggressor.

It was, therefore, no surprise to the party that there had not been any single incident of violent response occurring anywhere in the country from NPP supporters as a result of the slogan, because they understood it very well.

The NPP candidate pointed out that the party was unhappy with the attitude of the President towards the promotion of peace and unity in the country, because, since the assumption of power by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the country had been divided on political and tribal lines, a development, he said, called for concerted efforts by all to deal with the problem, irrespective of political affiliations.

Samuel Agbewode

The Chronicle/23/02/2011