Earlier today the Director of Communications at the office of the President, Eugene Arhin released a statement in response to some misrepresentations and outright falsehoods on presidential travels being peddled by the member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The release from the Presidency, clarifying the issues and setting the records straight on the President’s trip to Belgium is a clear testament of the fact that Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been living a lie for a long while on his so-called accountability campaign.
To think that a member of parliament could engage in vile propaganda just to make the Akufo-Addo administration look bad in the eyes of the Ghanaian people beats my imagination.
It has long been said in politics in this part of the world that opposition elements will always engage in desperation for political power. Today that has again been shown to be true.
Eugene Arhin’s response was another nail that just got driven into Ablakwa’s coffin.
Weirdly, despite Eugene Arhin’s timely intervention, Okudzeto Ablakwa himself, when put under pressure on the issue on Asempa Fm a while ago, didn’t have the curtsey and decency to do the needful, saying that he stands by his claims.
I’m not sure whether I’m more angry or frightened for the political class, as we can see this is only the start of a concerted assault on political leadership. It is also a grim situation, with a thread of dark hopelessness underneath which is frankly more disturbing than anything else.
The even more sinister element to this is that Okudzeto Ablakwa lied through his teeth.
What Ablakwa utterly fail to grasp is that the presidency is no joke and that President Akufo-Addo’s travels has brought more glory to this nation than his predecessors.
Okudzeto Ablakwa succeeded in his most important task in life, getting elected as member of Parliament. If you thought he had anything else to do, or the will, the motivation, or the energy for it, you are sadly mistaken and uninformed.
This is a guy who couldn’t even afford three square meal before going into politics. He entered politics straight from the University and became an overnight achiever with alledged properties at Airport Hills. Such a character is questioning President Akufo-Addo’s selflessness to the state?
As politicians, we are setting up an entirely false choice over our political differences that, if care is not taken, could unnecessarily undermine our democratic gains.
Signed:
Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah
Political Strategist and Convener of Fixing the Country Movement