I Don't Own A Generator; Would Go On Demo If I Were In Opposition - Koku Anyidoho

A Deputy General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), says, if the party was in opposition it would do exactly what the NPP did Wednesday – call a street protest over the debilitating power crisis facing the nation.

Departing markedly from the hard-line position adopted by some of his colleagues, Mr. Koku Anyidoho said Wednesday’s massive protest by the opposition New Patriotic Party “was a legitimate democratic exercise.”

"They are in opposition. What are you expecting them to do? To sit down? Kudos to them. If I were in opposition, I would do the same thing" he said.

Opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo led an army of frustrated Ghanaians onto the streets Wednesday to vent their anger at a power rationing arrangement that has seen Ghanaians endure 24hours of power cut and 12hours of lights albeit irregular.

At the same time that the protesters marched through the streets of Accra, a deputy Communications Director of the NDC, Fred Agbenyo, addressed a press conference saying the demonstration was unnecessary.

He said instead of proffering alternative solutions, the NPP leaders and their supporters were protesting on the streets.

National Organiser of the NDC, Kofi Adams, claimed the NPP had contributed to the current power crisis. “Why demonstrate against something you contributed significantly in putting us in?” Kofi Adams has asked.

Power Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor on his part described the demonstration as political opportunism.

But speaking on Joy FM Thursday, Koku Anyidoho, who is a former Communications Director at the presidency, said the NDC would do the same thing if it was in opposition and the country was faced with a power crisis of this scale.  “Let us call a spade a spade, this 'dumsor' (local slang for power rationing) is debilitating, this thing is killing, it is a crisis. The cascading effect is real and nobody can run away from it,” he conceded.

Mr. Anyidoho who revealed he does not own a generator set said he has a friend who is forking off huge sums to buy fuel to power the generator. “It is expensive,” he added. He, however said Ghanaians can take solace in the fact that President John Mahama is not resting on his oars until the problem is solved.

“Thank God the president himself has admitted that it is a crisis and is not sleeping on it, he is working hard to ensure that this dumsor never occurs again,” he stressed. To the extent that the president has not gone to bed, Koku Anyidoho said, there is hope.

A former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, said the government’s assurances that the power crisis will be resolved can no longer be relied on. He said the President had promised in 2012 that the crisis will be resolved in 2013 "when he had no clue how to solve the problem."

According to the popular politician, the power crisis was not simply an opportunity for NPP to score political points because power crisis affects not only NPP members but every ordinary individual.

He said one of the saddest moment for him during the crisis was seeing patients on dialysis waiting hoplessly for power at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to get treatment.

In view of the hardships, it was important for the NPP to show leadership, a virtue he believes in missing in currrent government. "We are not doing this to shore up image", it is because "for three years..it beats my imagination why they cannot solve this problem...and it borders on incompetence".