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Opinions of Thursday, 10 July 2014

Columnist: Koomson, Daniel

Why call the President irresponsible? Ade Coker

Calling the President of your country as irresponsible and insensitive is the last thing a patriotic citizen will do. Even if indiscipline and insubordination has become the bane of our Ghanaian society, one may expect that our leaders will leave beyond reproach and exercise high degree of decorum or civility in their public speaking for the youthful generation to follow. However, if our supposedly mentors defy the status quo to the extent of raining insults at the President of the land, then the signs are that Ghana is at the crossroad to destruction. ( See: Ade Coker jabs Mahama over Afriyie Ankrah http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/politics/artikel.php?ID=315938)

We have been taken aback by the public outburst of Mr. Ade Coker, the Greater Accra regional chairman of the NDC, first on Peace fm and lately with his interview with the Ghana News Agency casting indirect insults at President Mahama for the reshuffling of the former Sport Minister, Evis Afriyie Ankrah. In as much as we join in condemning the handling of the World Cup affairs by the former minister, his reshuffling to the Presidency do not amount to a show of irresponsibility and insensitivity that Ade Coker wants the whole world to believe.
It is high time Ade Coker gets to know that the President is the number one gentleman of the state and as such demands the outmost respect no matter the conditions under which he(Ade Coker) may disagree with him. We in the NDC have followed carefully the actions and inactions of Mr. Ade Coker over the years and have tried to contain him but getting to the height of calling the President irresponsible and insensitive is a height we can no more excuse. In this case, the only crime committed by President Mahama is to re-appoint Elvis Afriyie Ankrah to the Presidency, a decision according to Ade Coker is alien as he put it, "the President is hiding a criminal from mob justice".

We wish to emphatically inform Mr. Ade Coker that, there has been no charge of corruption against Elvis Afriyie by any court of competent jurisdiction, therefore cannot be deemed a criminal and a persona non grata at the Presidency. If he Ade Coker has any scores to settle with the former sport minister or Kwesi Nyantekyi which many are aware of, he should forbid the President from his vituperative attacks.

It has been an open secret within the NDC that, Ade Coker has longed wished for the FA presidency and have on several occasions lobbied former President Kuffor and later the late Prof. Atta Mills to no avail hence harbored ill-sentiments towards Nyantekyi's administration. If for selfish reasons Ade Coker wish to see the end of Elvis Afriyie and Kwesi Nyantekyi, he should note that, never will an NDC government give him the FA presidency let alone the Sport Ministry to serve as Minister.
More shockingly, after receiving applauds from mainly his NPP fans for standing bold to the President to label him as irresponsible, Messr Ade Coker on Asempa fm backtracked on his earlier interview to claim the interview was massaged. Has Mr. Ade Coker forgotten so soon when he questioned the President's handling of the appointments of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives of the Greater Accra region? ( See: http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/index.php/politics/612-deepening-cracks-in-ndc-ade-coker-fights-mahama-as-president-snubs-chairman-s-boys-in-mmdce-appointments) .Has he forgotten so soon when he questioned coach Kwesi Appiah's tactics? Has he also forgotten so soon when he recently attacked the GFA for the Black Stars poor performance on "kokroko" on Asempa fm?. Grow up, Mr Ade Coker, your time is up.

If Ade Coker has any conscience, he should apologize publicly to President Mahama, the NDC party and Ghanaians for bringing the President to public ridicule else the NDC youth will come at him.

Daniel Koomson
NDC Youth Wing
Central Region