Alice, my dear wife, had been imprisoned while we were in Senegal. She was accused of trafficking 2.2 kilograms of cocaine under very bizarre circumstances.
At that time in Senegal, high-profile crimes did not have regular court sittings. Judges were assembled periodically to handle the cases they could manage. When Alice arrived at the prison, some inmates had been detained for six years without trial. You couldn’t be in a hurry to get your case tried. So, when Alice was finally called for trial after three years, four months, and two weeks, it was nothing short of a miracle.
The then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Tetteh, had tried unsuccessfully to help. Her counterpart in Senegal was not responding to her letters. It seemed he did not want to interfere in their judicial system.
I was told that a miracle occurred one day when Ex-President John Mahama visited Senegal for an ECOWAS Summit. During his visit, Madam Hannah Tetteh hinted at our case, and I was informed that Ex-President Mahama was so willing to help after hearing our story.
Shortly after, President Macky Sall invited Mr. Mahama for lunch, and it was there that the two presidents discussed our case. Mr. Mahama did not know us personally, and he didn’t have to trust our side of the story, yet he was very eager to help. When he returned to Ghana, he sent a petition to the President of Senegal.
I strongly believe that this letter did two things for us. First, it caused our case to be called earlier than expected. Second, it gave us hope for a fair trial because the judicial system would have been aware that others were closely watching how the case was handled. Senegal’s customs officials wanted to win the case by any means necessary, and without that letter from a powerful source, they could have bribed their way through the judges.
On May 2, 2017, exactly 40 months after Alice’s incarceration, she was acquitted and released.
This favor from Ex-President Mahama opened my eyes. He was not just an NDC president; he was the president of all Ghanaians.
Our ordeal in Senegal, as well as our blessings, could fill an entire book. After Alice’s release, we stayed in Senegal. President Nana Akufo-Addo won the 2016 elections, and in May 2017, he visited Senegal.
The hardworking Ambassador Mrs. Maamah organized a dinner in his honor, and as fate would have it, Alice and I were given an opportunity to attend. For the first time, I could see Akufo-Addo within close proximity. As a typical Ghanaian, I could boast from that day that I “knew” President Akufo-Addo. I could even say he is my uncle, as we share an Akuapem background. Before the members at our table could realize, Akufo-Addo joined us.
He had heard Alice’s story and asked where we were seated. He left his “presidential” table and came to ours. “Ohemmaa,” he addressed Alice. “I have heard your story. Do not mind them. When are you coming to Ghana? Please, when you come, visit me at the presidency.”
At our table, he also recognized Mr. Sapati because, as I later learned, they had worked together before. He stayed at our table for quite a while, and I took the opportunity to tell him that the late former Ayensuano MP, Godfred Okyere, was my brother. He remembered him and asked how he was doing.
Rev. Owusu-Baafi also took time to talk about his relationship with Mr. Mac Manu, and Akufo-Addo almost became angry when one of his aides tried to interrupt our conversation.
This is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the man whose first name has been “replaced” with the word “arrogance.” He is perhaps the most vilified politician in Ghana’s history, given many disgraceful names. Yet, here I was meeting him for the first time and seeing an entirely different side of him.
How can partisanship make us so bitter that we demonize our neighbors, turning them into Satan himself?
If you cannot define what President Akufo-Addo did at that dinner as humility, then what could it be? In many people’s minds, he is the most “useless” president Ghana has ever had. Really? No wonder we, as a nation and as Africans, often fail to recognize the good when it’s right in front of us.
I am not saying he is a perfect president; all I am saying is that, as a human being, he has done some good things. Politics is a pursuit of faith and adventure. Presidential and parliamentary hopefuls are from a special breed. They often analyze the possibility of victory as if it were magic. They invest, and the grassroots benefit.
“Boossu,” everyone says, “you will win. Please give us some money for the boys.”
Isn’t it amazing that we can all predict who will win, yet those in the race often cannot predict if they will make it? I remember one election season when an aspirant’s own vote did not even show up in the counting. It was mysterious. He had zero votes at the place where his entire family had voted.
As we approach this season of spiritual and emotional intensity, there will be both celebration and disappointment. The hatred between political opponents will intensify. Some may challenge the results in court. There will be bitter feelings between the aspirant and his grassroots because the money he spent didn’t reflect in the votes.
There may be arguments between worshippers and the idols, and between adherents and prophets. When prophecies don’t come to pass, let’s remember not to harm the “prophet.” His mouth is not a weapon. When he opens his mouth, you choose to listen.
It will also be a time to audit and verify if the grassroots received the financial support they were promised. Mistrust will grow among friends. The situation is more complex than dollarization; it goes beyond reducing the price of kenkey.
A wife may consider divorcing her husband over money wasted on an unsuccessful political campaign.
This season must be one of intense prayer, calm, forgiveness, and a resolve to move forward in unity.
Folks, my tears are dropping on my phone. Who will be your president?
Leadership is key.