Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and his brother, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, last Friday called into a live radio programme and exposed one Esther Nana Agyemang, a supposed member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The programme on Neat FM in Accra was being hosted by Adakabre Frempong Manso when the lady who says she is an NPP member made spurious claims about the former President and his junior brother, who is a former Minister of Defence during Mr. Kufuor’s regime, as the panelist tried to attack Vice President Dr. Bawumia and Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
The ex-President said he felt maligned by the false claims of the lady, after she claimed she was speaking on authority that Mr. Kufuor only appointed his brother, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor as Minister of Defence with the view to tame his predecessor, John Jerry Rawlings, and not on competence.
The lady also claimed that Dr. Addo-Kufuor’s appointment by then President Kufuor was to reconcile the NPP after the 2000 general election since his brother did not support his bid for the presidency.
Wicked Lies
Former President Kufuor described the woman’s claims as “wicked lies” intended to defame him and his brother, while asking the public not to rely on unverified claims.
“Adakabre, this falsity should not have come on air in the first place,” he rapped the host and asked rhetorically, “where was this woman when I was taking the decision to appoint my brother to the Defence Ministry?”
“I am shocked and shaken by this lie. It is unheard-of and I must say it is not true. That, I didn’t know his competence and good work he (Kwame Addo-Kufuor) did to help the government that brought a change,” former President Kufuor pointed out.
He said his brother contributed immensely to good governance when he served the people of Ghana, and that the false claims by the lady should be disregarded.
Bad People
“I don’t want to speak in vain. Such bad people like her should be put to their rightful place. I want her to repeat herself for me to hear!” the former President who sounded a bit angry, said.
The former President said he appointed his brother as Defence Minister because he believed in his competence and expertise, intimating that Dr. Addo-Kufuor was a Member of Parliament prior to his appointment, and a professional in his own right.
“Since independence till I became President, any civilian leader of the country could not complete his term. From Kwame Nkrumah through to Busia to Limann, they all suffered from coup d’états. I was the fourth civilian leader and prayed that my government would survive any coup,” he said, adding “So I needed a competent person who was resolved to keep the government in place by entrusting the Ministry of Defence in his hands and that is why I chose my brother and it worked excellently.”
“How come today we will allow someone to come and sit on the radio to malign me and try to cause disaffection for my family. This is a complete lie,” he stated.
“I know my brother more than anyone knows him. He comes after me. I am one year and seven months older than him. I know his mind, competence and everything. So for you to create the impression or suggest that there was uneasiness between us is a lie!”
Addo-Kufuor Fire
Shortly after the ex-President ended the call, his biological brother, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, also phoned in saying “the lady’s disinformation and lies must be dealt with, lest the young ones might take them onboard as sacrosanct.”
“I don’t know this lady who has been peddling falsehood about me. I have asked party leaders in Kumasi and they told me they did not know her either,” the former Defence Minister stated.
“Who will not support his brother wanting to become President of Ghana? I don’t know whether she has siblings. If I don’t support my brother then who should I support? That is a lie and she must erase that from her mind,” he added.
He also dismissed assertions that he never supported Victor Owusu, the leader of the Popular Front Party (PFP) in the Third Republic, as claimed by the lady, saying, “Any time Victor Owusu came to Kumasi, six elders, including myself were the financiers of the party. Others are Dr. Selby, Nana Osei Bonsu, Bikai, Apino (Appiah Minka).
“We had a rally at Abbey’s park and the whole of Ghana came there. I sat closely behind Victor Owusu. He told me, ‘Kwame, it’s about 4 o’clock; come and conduct reception.’ About 150 people came to my house and I catered for all of them.”
“If she does know this she shouldn’t come and sit on the radio to defame us. You have not achieved what we have done in life,” Dr. Addo-Kufuor fumed.
He rapped the host for allowing such a character to be on his show, asserting, “Adakabre, you are a grownup, next time you should stop such people from defaming others; any nonentity just making unsubstantiated claims.”
“If we don’t stop her now she would continue with her disinformation. That is why I phoned in,” the former Minister concluded.
By Ernest Kofi Adu