I have read with great concern, the statement released by President Nana Akufo-Addo’s cousin, Gabby Otchere-Darko, asking some ministers with presidential ambitions to leave the current government.

His statement posted on his official Facebook page read: “You cannot exploit the presidency of another, at the risk of party and government, for your speculative adventure.”

“The world is in crisis. Ghana is part of the world. Therefore, Ghana is in crisis. Which part of this, don’t you get, Mr Cabinet Member!,” Mr Otchere-Darko addressed a minister with presidential ambition whose name he did not mention,” Mr Otchere-Darko added.

“Governments everywhere have a big multi-task of fighting the virus, fighting economic hardships, fighting for food and jobs, fighting the debt and deficit and, here in Ghana, we are also fighting for transformation. This is not the time to be planting for delegates and votes,” he said with his statement seemingly aiming at Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.

“If your focus, as a member of Akufo-Addo’s government, is to first fight for your own ambition and transformation, then, please, feel free to move over to move on,” according to Mr Otchere-Darko.

Gross Hypocrisy

For me, Mr Otchere-Darko’s call on such Ministers, more than anything else, smacks of gross hypocrisy.

Why do I say so? Mr Otchere-Darko will never look at Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President and ask him to resign for equally having presidential ambition. I mean, will he be bold and tell Dr Bawumia to resign?

Dr Bawumia’s campaign posters are now being seen everywhere across Ghana.

I mean, for Christ's sake, Ghana belongs to everyone and not a select few. Mr Akufo-Addo became a President of Ghana because he is a Ghanaian Citizen and not because Ghana belongs to him. The father of President Akufo-Addo, Edward Akufo, became President of Ghana because he was a Ghanaian and not because Ghana belongs to him.

And so Mr Akufo-Addo who is serving his second term as President should not ideally be seeking to have some level of control over the country again when his tenure is finally over in 2024 by seeking to ensure that at all cost, Dr Bawumia becomes the next flagbearer of the NPP. What at all does he (Akufo-Addo) want still from life and Ghana after serving eight years as President?

It is an open secret that Vice President Dr Bawumia is being prepared by President Akufo-Addo to succeed him as flagbearer of the NPP for the 2024 presidential election.

The President is indeed seriously working to ensure that Dr Bawumia gets elected as NPP’s flagbearer in 2022 or 2023.

But it seems when it comes to Dr. Bawumia, the time is not too early to campaign for the presidential candidate race. When it comes to Dr Bawumia and his push for presidency, Mr Otchere-Darko forgets suddenly that the world is in crisis and Covid19 Levy is being slapped on poor Ghanaians while monies are being blown on Dr Bawumia’s campaign secretly.

Why? Because Dr Bawumia is Mr Akufo-Addo’s favorite or plan A.

The Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto was rumored widely to be the second favorite of President Akufo-Addo until a seeming “betrayal” sets in over the last weekend when Dr Afriyie Akoto reportedly told NPP delegates in the Ashanti Region that Mr Akufo-Addo had ‘neglected’ roads in the Ashanti Region and that when he (Afriyie Akoto) was elected as flagbearer and hopefully President In 2024, he will prioritize roads in the Ashanti Region. Dr Afriyie Akoto had also blown Ghc 1 Million on NPP delegates in the Ashanti Region. It remains to be seen if the President will sack him, considering that long before he went to campaign in the Ashanti Region, it was reported that he (Afriyie Akoto) was Mr Akufo-Addo’s plan B and was only waiting for his (Akufo-Addo’s) go-ahead to start campaigning.

Dr Afriyie Akoto is a well-known long-time friend of Mr Akufo-Addo and as he (Dr Afriyie Akoto) pointed out, their friendship started long before their political careers.

The calls for ministers with presidential ambitions to resign while at the same time President Akufo-Addo is working so hard to market Dr Bawumia, are nothing but highly hypocritical and the gross hypocrisy must stop.

If it’s too early for Ministers with presidential ambitions to start campaigning to succeed Mr Akufo-Addo, it should equally be too early for the campaigns for Dr Bawumia.