Arthur Kennedy, a prominent member of theNew Patriotic Party (NPP), asserts that former Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufour’s inaction against the alleged Akyem dominance within the party amounts to a failure on his part.
Kennedy contends that Kufour possessed the authority to counter this perceived takeover but opted not to, a decision that he finds deeply troubling.
To him, Kufour should have spent his political capital fighting to save the NPP from the control of the Akyems.
“Talking about Kufour, I’ve always liked him. Very personable, very fine gentleman. But in his post-presidential years, he let the NPP down. I think that a lot of things, including taking over the party and extra constitutional things that the Kyebi mafia has done, like sacking Afoko, Kwabena Agyepong,.
The person who could have stopped that was Kufour, who refused to spend his political capital doing that. I say this because he is a very nice person, and I say that because he could have prevented a lot of these things from happening. Having said that, his abandonment of Alan might be based on the conviction thatBawumia is a better candidate,” he said.
A prominent member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Arthur Kennedy, has asserted that former President, John Agyekum Kufour failed the party by not resisting the Akyem influence on its leadership.
According to Kennedy, Kufour had the authority to prevent it but chose not to intervene, which is a cause for concern.
Kennedy expressed his belief that Kufour should have utilized his political influence to safeguard the NPP from being controlled by external forces.
He emphasized that, in his post-presidential years, Kufour’s inaction contributed to various issues within the party, such as the takeover and controversial removal of figures like Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong.
Speaking critically about Kufour, Kennedy remarked, “Talking about Kufour, I’ve always liked him. Very personable, very fine gentleman. But in his post-presidential years, he let the NPP down.” Kennedy believes that Kufour’s failure to intervene allowed certain factions, referred to as the “Kyebi mafia,” to exert control over the party.
Kennedy noted, “The person who could have stopped that was Kufour, who refused to spend his political capital doing that.”
He mentioned Kufour’s decision as particularly disappointing given Kufour’s amiable nature and the potential to prevent many of the issues that unfolded.
However, Kennedy also acknowledged that Kufour’s lack of support for Alan may stem from the belief that Bawumia is a more suitable candidate.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has expressed the view that Ghana stands at a critical juncture, necessitating the election of a forward-thinking leader like Mahamudu Bawumia to steer the nation in the upcoming December elections.
Kufuor highlighted Bawumia’s commendable track record as a diligent and devoted vice-president to President Akufo-Addo over the past eight years, underscoring the importance of granting him an opportunity to lead.
These sentiments were shared by Kufuor during a speech delivered on Wednesday, February 7, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), coinciding with Vice-President Bawumia’s presentation of his vision for the country as the governing NPP’s presidential candidate for the 2024 elections.
“Ghana has come to a crossroads, and I’m serious here. It is not the normal regular politics we want, we want a leadership with a vision even in the complex world I have talked about.”
” A leader that will be able to marshal the new technologies and pick the requisite manpower … we must get people of competence to work with him to find our way out of the confusion our society and economy has been plunged into, I wouldn’t blame any side,” he said.
Kufour added “If you look at the track record of all the parties, you can’t find one that can say that in their time, they were excellent or superb, no. We are in a new situation, and I believe in the situation and I believe in the saying that “cometh the hour, cometh the man”.”
Former Education Minister, Professor Dominic Fobih, has denied claims that he has recently married for the ninth time.
Videos of the colourful marriage ceremony of the 80-year old former Member of Parliament for Assin South went viral on social media over the weekend.
What got tongues wagging was the claim that the young and beautiful wife of the Octogenarian was 27-year-old and the fact that it was the politician’s 9th union.
A video clip from the occasion captured the good old Professor in a kente cloth excited and dancing with his new wife who wore a white and gold beaded-laced corset gown.
The two danced to Dada KD’s love song ‘Fatia Fata Nkrumah’ amid cheers from the audience as the old man was holding his wife’s waist, while the woman had her hands on his shoulders.
But reacting to the claims about his marriage in an exclusive interview on Morning Starr on Starr FM Tuesday, Prof. Fobih stated that the report about his latest marriage is borne out of ignorance as it contains lies which has misled the public.
“I don’t have nine wives, I have one wife, I just got married. I didn’t have a wife before so I’ve just got married. Who inGhana has nine wives. If anybody is commenting on nine wives the person has been misled. Those who are commenting are commenting on what they’ve read and that is borne out of ignorance.”
The former Cabinet Minister also dismissed claims that his young wife is 27-years-old and disclosed that “She’s 31 years now and a Medical Personnel.”
He described himself as a strong-willed person who knows what is best for him.
“I’m a very strong willed person and I’m always convinced about what I decide to do and is best for me. I know why I’m doing this and so they can tell all sort of things. I didn’t marry for anybody, I married for myself,” Prof. Fobih added.
Born on July 16, 1942, Dominic Fobih was a legislator from January 2001 to January 2017 on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. He was also the Minister of Lands, Forestry. and Mines during Ex-President John Agyekum Kufour’s administration.
Dr Kobby Mensah, a lecturer at the University of Ghana and a political communication expert, has ranked the Akufo-Addo-led administration as the worst in history.
According to the lecturer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s legacy as president is disastrous.
He likened Nana Addo’s government to that of former President John Agyekum Kufour, arguing that before Nana Addo was elected, Many Ghanaians believed that he would be a better leader than the latter.
“Before Nana Addo came, I think within the NPP, most people to be honest with you a lot of people with all due respect, didn’t even think that president Kufour was better than Nana Addo. For a lot of people within the NPP,” he said.
Speaking in an interview on Neat FM monitored by GhanaWeb, Dr Kobby Mensah added that due to Ghanaians’ high hopes for President Akufo-Addo, they held the opinion that Kufuor’s administration was paving the path for him to engage in a significant economic upturn.
“It was as if president Kufuor was John the Baptist and Nana Addo was Jesus Christ. That he was coming to prepare the way for Nana Addo’s government. So, the majority of people in NPP were actually expecting Nana Addo’s presidency more than they expected Kufour’s presidency. And they did not give the due to president Kufour until Nana Addo came to power. So, the question is where is the legacy?
He concluded by saying that Nana Addo’s administration is an abject failure and there is no way for future generations to compare its accomplishments to that of the previous presidents.
“…in history or some years to come, we’re going to refer to president Kufour’s NPP and Nana Addo’s NPP. I don’t think you can actually compare the two. So, the cost again is that the legacy that Nana Addo is going to leave, I think that is going to be very disastrous.
Former President, John Agyekum Kufour, wants the Council of State scrapped.
He believes, the Council has lost its relevance over the years and must be abolished. Instead, he wants it to be turned into a second chamber.
The former President said this at a forum organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Accra.
“Perhaps the time has come for us to move to a second house. It might cost a bit more, but we want quality to serve the ends of good governance and the people at large more, then I would say, the days of Council of State are over.”
The forum formed part of a series of engagements the Institute undertook to solicit input towards a possible review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The former President proposed that, instead of the Council of State, the country should set up a second chamber to play the advisory role to the government.
“I have had a chance to express my views on the Council of State, a very honourable distinguished institution, well-meaning. But, I can say I don’t think it is fit for purpose given the state of development of our country and given the fact that the nation is committed to practising democratic governance.”
In recent times, the relevance of the Council of State, has been questioned with some political commentators, academia and civil society organisations suggesting that the body had outlived its usefulness and should be abolished.
Former President Kufuor explained that though the framers of the Constitution thought it wise to set up such a body to advise the President, the Council was no longer useful.
He said: “…We limit the uses of Council of State to advising just the President,” and that often, the President decided whether or not to take the advice.
“So, I have gone through all these periods and I have come to a conclusion, perhaps, what our Constitution should have to temper the extremes of democracy is not a Council of State but a second chamber, a second chamber well composed not on the basis of democracy so much. Democracy should always be implied in there though but not entirely democratically but more on proof and experience, prove in public spiritedness, prudence, maturity, care for the nation, inclusive.”
“If we do that, and allow this second chamber to operate openly, in the full glare of publicity, then the wisdom that would be issued from their deliberations would impact not only the President,” he added
The former President added that the term of the second chamber must not be tied to the tenure of any government to ensure that there was continuity in the provision of development for the people.
On limiting the appointing powers of the President, the former President said the country must practice the checks and balances in its pure form, especially among the lead organs of State.
He called for the amendment of sections of the Constitution that empowered presidents to appoint about 50 percent of Ministers from Parliament.
“The legislature should be apart, people being elected there should be encouraged to professionalize themselves as legislators, so they will play the guard dogs or watchdogs on the executive,” he said.
The former President also urged that political parties were allowed to participate in elections at the local level.
Having cemented its name in the Ghanaian commercial real estate market and evolved into a true destination lifestyle node offering a one-stop for a variety of shopping, business, and health and fitness products and services, A&C Mall lines up various activities in commemoration of its fifteenth anniversary this year.
The occasion commenced on October 17, 2022, and is expected to be climaxed on December 31, 2022, with a special ceremony including a showcase of some of its future projects.
Setting the tone for the celebration would be an anniversary sales event dubbed ‘15 On 15’ scheduled to be held at the A&C Mall car park between November 11 and 13. This would be followed by Black Friday Sales and Treasure Hunt on November 25.
Officials of the mall which has built a reputation of being the nation’s go-to mixed-use lifestyle center while remaining relevant in Ghana’s competitive market, have also factored the need to give back to the society, birthing the desire to carry out a corporate social responsibility from December 1 to 31.
Located at East Legon, Accra, A&C Mall was the first shopping mall to be opened in Ghana. The enterprise, founded by a Ghanaian, Andrew Kwabena Asamoah, was birthed in 2006 and was commissioned by the then-president of Ghana John Agyekum Kufour.
The vision of Mr. Asamoah who had spent three decades in the diaspora was to “ignite the retail sector in Ghana” hence the decision to “come back home and contribute positively to the development of my country.”
A barrister-at-law and a former Director of World Health Organisation Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr. Asamoah has served and continues to serve on a number of national and international bodies as well as non-profit organizations.
In 2021, Mr. Asamoah was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa) in Leadership and Innovation by the Swiss School of Business and Management, Geneva. He has post-graduate qualifications in Public Administration, Human Resources Development, etc.
The business mogul has numerous laurels to his credit including the National Award: Officer of the Order of the Volta; Planters of Seed Award of Ghana Club 100; BID International Star Gold Award for Quality, Geneva, Switzerland; Business Growth Achievement Award, Ghana SME and CEOs Summit (2018), etc.
He is married to Cecilia Asamoah who is the Executive Director of the predominantly family-run business. Described as the pillar of strength of the family, the mother of four has joined her husband on their many global journeys. Her calm and patient but firm demeanor complements her excellent entrepreneurial and management skills, high work ethic, and top-quality customer service as the company secretary.
The A&C brand is carved from the initials of the couple – Andrew and Cecilia.
As the business marks its fifteenth anniversary, it aims at expanding and enriching its services to meet the needs of its cherished customers. The A&C Corner, a home décor Mall is almost completed and the A&C Village is under construction.
Musician KiDihas revealed that he felt embarrassed, sad and defeated after people began pulling out his “inappropriate” old tweets.
Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz Fm, the ‘Touch It’ hitmaker said that prior to the incident on Wednesday evening, he was not in a good mental state when he was hit with the tweets and criticisms that followed.
“So I was already dealing with a lot…I didn’t even have time to breathe and reset…I remember when it happened I was having my EP listening session. I actually had to leave in the middle of it,” he told Andy Dosty.
KiDi added that “I broke down in the middle of people, it was just a lot for me, so I had to leave and go home. I felt really embarrassed about all of it,” he added.
The ‘Gyal Dem Sugar’ hitmaker added that although there is no excuse for his previous tweets some of them took him by surprise because he could not remember writing them.
This comes after his old tweets – which resurfaced on Wednesday – saw him swipe at former Presidents John Mahama, John Agyekum Kufour and President Akufo-Addo.
He also openly talked about his “relationship” with TV show host Anita Akuffo back in primary school and many others that people find offensive.
He also made comments about TV presenter Delay, actors John Dumelo, Yvonne Nelson and Jackie Appiah.
KiDi apologised to the public admitting that at the time he was not only young but ignorant and did not understand the repercussions of his words and actions.
“I tweeted things that were inappropriate and unkind. As I mature, I came to be extremely regretful of these actions and how they affected the parties involved,” the ‘Gyal Dem Sugar’ hitmaker wrote.
Opening up on how he has grown to be a much better person KiDi said that “a lot of the things and values we hold now, we had to go through certain things in life to arrive at this place that we are, we had to unlearn a lot of things we grew up with and relearn certain things to also know that this is not okay.”
The singer added that he hopes the celebrities whom he wrote about would understand his old tweets do not represent who he is today as a person.
“I am guessing and hoping that they know that this was a young foolish boy. I wasn’t even KiDi was Nana Dwamena who just had a phone and was misbehaving so I am hoping they can see through all of that and know that I wasn’t the person I was at the time,” he said.
KiDi added that “you live, we make the mistakes, we learn through them and through learning, we become better people.”
