Three stalwarts of the 4th republic who have died this week

This tenth month of the year 2023 has only travelled 5 days, but there have already been some major news headlines recorded in it, politically as well.

And at the top of all of these headlines have been the reported deaths of three widely-known personalities in the country.

More specifically, these personalities have been some of the top names in the country’s current republic, the fourth republic.

In this article, GhanaWeb takes a look at the three stalwarts of the republic who have died this week, starting with the former First Lady, Theresa Kufuor.

Theresa Kufuor dies at 87:

Not being much of a public personality, particularly after her time as First Lady of Ghana came to an official end on January 7, 2009, Theresa Kufuor stayed away from the public for the most part until on October 1, 2023, when news broke of her death.

The retired midwife and wife of former President John Agyekum Kufuor is reported to have died at home at Peduase in the Eastern Region.

Confirming the news the following day, P. K. Mensah, a spokesperson for the former president, said that the former First Lady died in the afternoon of Sunday, October 1.



He also told the media that the family was yet to sit down and officially plan anything, although a book of condolence has been opened in her memory.

Later, a video emerged of President John Agyekum Kufuor unable to hold back his emotions while sharing some words with some close family members and friends at his residence.

The former president was captured in the video trying hard to hold back his tears, even as his brother and former Minister of Defence, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, tried to console him in that moment.

So far, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (believed to have been in the house when the death happened) and former president John Dramani Mahama have been to the Peduase residence of John Kufuor to commiserate with him.

Enoch Teye Mensah dies at 77:

Also on Sunday, October 1, 2023, the death of Enoch Teye Mensah, a former Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, was confirmed dead.

The leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was reported to have died at the age of 77 in the evening of that day.

He passed away in South Africa after battling ill health for some time.

Popularly known as ET Mensah, the former lawmaker also served as a Minister for Education and Minister of Sports at different points in the country.





The accountant by training was an MP from January 1997 till January 2017, when he was defeated in the NDC primaries by the current MP for the area, Sam Nartey George.

At a point, together with the current Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin; and Cletus Avoka, MP for Zebilla; the three men were referred to as the Three Wisemen in Ghana’s Parliament House because of the lengths of time they had served as lawmakers.

He leaves behind a widow and seven children.

Felix Owusu-Adjapong passes on at 79:

And then in the evening of Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the death of a former Majority Leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in parliament, under the presidency of President John Agyekum Kufuor, Felix Owusu-Adjapong, was announced.

He died at the age of 79.

The news was confirmed by the incumbent Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, on X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

“Deep condolences to the family…Former Majority leader, Hon. Felix Owusu passed on,” Annoh-Dompreh posted.

F. K. Owusu-Adjapong (born February 13, 1944) was a Ghanaian politician and a former Member of the Parliament of Ghana as a New Patriotic Party (NPP) representative for Akyem Swedru of the Eastern Region of Ghana. He was also a former Minister for Energy.



Early life and education

Felix Owusu-Adjapong studied Land Economy at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. He also studied Housing, Planning and Building at the Bouwcentrum Institute in Rotterdam, Urban Land Appraisal at the University of Reading in England, and law at the Ghana School of Law.

Political career

Owusu-Agyapong is a member of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana. He was first elected Member of Parliament for Akyem Swedru in the 1996 general elections with a total of 15,824 making 45.30% of the total valid votes cast that year. He was re-elected in the 2000 general elections with a majority of 14,614 making 56.80% of the votes cast. In February 2001 he was appointed Minister for Transport and Communications, and in April 2003 Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

In the 2004 Ghanaian general elections, he was elected again as Member of Parliament with a majority vote of 21,048 making 66.94% of the total votes polled that year. In 2007 he resigned his ministerial position to make an unsuccessful bid for the presidential nomination of the NPP. He did not contest his parliamentary constituency at the 2008 General Elections. In June 2008 he was appointed Minister of Energy, holding the post until the end of Kufuor's government in January 2009.

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