....As 2008 General Elections Draw Near

Cross-border snippets of information gathered by THE SUN indicates that NDC founder cum leader ex-President J. J. Rawlings, currently plastered in the face and burdened in the wings by his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman’s high-profile trial, still managed to set aside the haunt to broker peace east of Ghana’s border with neighbouring Togo.

Sniffer dogs of the most intelligent stock say Mr. Rawlings wormed his way into the old EYADEMA-GILCHRIST OLYMPIO tug-of-war with a trip to Lome, and managed to water down what is left of the feud first begun by the departed late President, Gnassingbe Eyadema and Gilchrist Olympio, who shuttles between Ghana and France quite often.

All efforts over the weekend to reach the cell phone of Mr. Victor Smith, special aide to the ex-president Mr. Rawlings for his boss’ side of the story proved futile.

But when the dust finally settled in Togo, the ex-President had succeeded in preaching peace by establishing the fact that figuratively, both CORN and KENKEY are of the same maize stock. Exact dates of the brokering have been pretty difficult in obtaining, but it is the security implications and the timing of the peace-brokering sometime last month, that continues to baffle political watchers across both borders.

One account says, one remarkable result the peace-brokering fathered was for Mr. Olympio to be allowed a sneak preview of what real government tastes like, which is why the Prime Ministerial position or other portfolios are going to be set aside for his Party in the future.

As a background to the Togo political landscape available skin-on-head information say the present President, Faure’s father Monsieur Eyadema, shot his way to power as a Cook Sergeant, by whacking to death Mr. Olympio’s father in 1967, in what is thought to be black Africa’s first coup d’etates.

With the political landscape now changed, it became so impossible for the politically enlightened Olympio family to beat a retreat to power. The late Eyadema ruled with such an iron-fist that saw all opposition elements escaping out of the country through every means available, just as cockroaches do while under attack in human habitats.

But the timing of the peace-brokering by Rawlings has sent several tongues wagging as to whether the new-kid-on-the-block, President Faure, may want to do any favours for the ex-President and his NDC especially at a time big brother Ghana (under President J. A. Kufuor), never really scuttled the flawed presidential ambitions and electoral fraud perpetrated by the present dispensation in Togo, just a few years ago.

Yet again, historical antecedent draws a horrific picture of troop infiltration into Togo by Ghana under Flt. Lt. Rawlings, in a bloody clash that almost nearly overthrew Faure’s father, Gnassingbe. Cross-border watchers speak of an intriguing game of chess playing up, where Togo may decide not to close the border with Ghana, given the history of its nationals’ trademark characteristics of risking their lives, through dangerous routes to vote for the NDC, quite stewed in ethnic politicking just next-door to the Volta region.

Back in those fruitful days with Togo in 2000 and 2004, that country closed the borders with Ghana preceded by a punchy announcement of a caution to potential impersonators and imposters, not to try to venture to cross the border to vote. The measures worked perfectly and saw the ruling NPP whittle down the hitherto huge numbers Volta, which is near Togo, used to churn out.

What political analysts do not know but will find fascinating to know is, what became of the new-found love between both government, thought by many to be a continuity of what father Eyadema started with President Kufuor.

Indeed the closeness between baby Eyadema and Mr. Kufuor was so cordial that, there was a whispering campaign of marriage between the Togolese President, and Mr. Kufuor’s daughter, Ama Dapaah.

The rumour fizzled out into nothingness and paled into insignificance, and it looks to be the prayer of some NPP stalwarts that in the same shape and form, the Faure-Rawlings-Olympio triangle should go wayward, especially weighed against the Party’s interest.

The fact of Ghana blowing its nose and Togo catching a cold or vice-versa in the political sphere is just too fresh on political minds who may be watching with great anxiety as regards what the end-product would be of the Faure-Rawlings marriage of convenience.