President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s has been advised to be wary of fair weather friends who are only “basking in his sunshine”.
Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, a member of the Tema East branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said the President’s attempt to satisfy people never supported him could expose him to political treachery
Mr. Adjei, who goes by the nickname, Moshake, proposed that is the President saw it fit to give some positions out, he should not neglect of members of the defunct Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), who had supported the Presidential campaign of Nana Akufo-Addo in 2008.
“In 2008, the likes of Dr. Edward Mahama and Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan had joined forces with NDC against Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP during the run-off. The NDC at the time had former President Jerry Rawlings.
It is only members of the DFP who had stuck with Akufo-Addo. But today look in the NPP government and see if there is a single DFP member who has been shown to the door of the Presidential lounge,” he said.
He said appointing people who had been antagonistic towards him in his days in opposition, would not necessarily change their views although they may not openly ventilate those views.
“Today, every member of the DFP is seeing the bitter truth unfold before his or her eyes that his or her efforts were really a waste of time,” he said.
According to him, the DFP had risen, in the build up to the 2008 election, as a splinter from the NDC consequent to former President Rawlings’ imposition of the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills on the party as flagbearer.
“The aggrieved members had broken away from the NDC to form the DFP. Notable members of the DFP splinter included Bede Zideng, Frances Assiam and Dr. Obed Asamoah.
The DFP had subsequently organized and contested the 2008 election, helping to push it into a run off rather than a first round victory for the NDC which was emerging strong from opposition after having lost power in 2000,” he said.
According to him, “It was during this run off that the PNC, which then had Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan as Chairman and Dr. Edward Mahama as flagbearer, threw their weight behind the NDC against Nana who was then flagbearer of the NPP.
During the same run off, former President Rawlings who had campaigned vigorously against Nana Akufo-Addo during the main election, as he rushed to Tain in the Brong Ahafo Region to whip up support for the NDC.”
He said through it all however, the DFP and its members had stuck with Nana Akufo-Addo, campaigning for him after pledging their support to him.
“Eight years later, Nana has now become President and the very people who campaigned against him in 2008 are the ones that he has given appointments to, without a single toss to any member of the DFP.
History is always the best teacher. The President should remember that the friends who had been there when he needed them are his true friends,” he said.