A political scientist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Mr. Kwesi Amakye says the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is receiving too much bashing for saying something that almost all politicians endorse privately.
According to Mr. Amakye, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its agents are using Nana Akufo Addo as a scapegoat for openly admitting to something that has gradually become identical with Ghanaian politics, that is the use of inflammatory words and violence.
“Nana Addo’s fear is genuine; there is violence in our body politics, there is no doubt to that. It is unfortunate that Nana Addo might have put himself in this situation to become a scapegoat. But without mincing words, all the political entities, especially the NDC and NPP, all of them enjoy violence in one way or the other.
I would want to believe that on the quiet, they strengthen their men to go out there and be prepared to meet their opponent boot for boot. I want to believe that some even get training to simply not go by the rules”.
“I suspect that they all somehow on the quiet endorse violence. That explains why since 1993 to date, we appear to have had to in a way embrace this whole difficulty of violence in our body politics”.
However, Kwesi Amakye contended that by his “all die be die” comments, Nana Addo seems to have thrown his arms in despair; as if resigning himself to fate and saying that “we do not have any way out; Ghana has no alternative arrangement in place. We are going to have to confront this violent situation; in a way, gird your loins and prepare to fight”.
Rather than retort to his “all die be die call, Mr Amakye said Nana Addo could have faced the problem head-on by calling on Ghanaians to “put our heads together and find a way to deal with it”.
Meanwhile some supporters of the NPP in the Upper East Region say they are inspired and highly motivated by recent “all-die-be-die” comments by their flag bearer.
“We are highly inspired by the statement that Nana Addo made. Nana Addo has motivated us because he has been a leader; a freedom fighter; a democrat; somebody who has spent the rest of his life fighting for democracy and respect for fundamental human rights and dignity in this country," spokesperson of the NPP youth, Abraham Bashiru noted.
He dismissed assertion that the comments were inflammatory.

“There are so many people who are chanting and running riot because they have misunderstood Nana Addo. Being a democrat, Nana Addo will never advise anybody to go and fight anybody," he said.

He explained the comments were to advise the party supporters to defend themselves if attacked and not to initiate attacks.

He cited examples of NDC footsoldiers who he said were visiting mayhem on Regional Ministers, DCEs, asking if the NDC could visit mayhem on their own people, what will they not do to their opponents.

“Former Regional Minister Hon. Khalid was beaten [up] by NDC footsoldiers, chased out of the office and contract documents were burnt. DCEs are in exile in Gushiegu, Walewale etc.

“Clearly if these people could demonstrate these kinds of violent acts on even their own members, what will they not do to us,” he quizzed.