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My opposition to the New Patriotic Party is not in doubt. It is truism that during the eight year rule of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, I was one of the few Ghanaians who took on his administration and worked assiduously to march it out of power.

When the National Democratic Congress led by late Prof John Atta Mills secured victory in the 2008 elections which was later bequeathed to immediate past President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, I defended the government even at the peril of my life with hopes of denying the NPP opportunity of recapturing power.

Typical of me in the past eight years was my strong views on the leadership style of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. It is well documented that I am not only a virulent critic of President Akufo-Addo, but I have also spent time and resources to campaign against his election as President of Ghana.

I did all that I did and, will continue to do, not because I despise Nana Akufo-Addo or I bear grudges. President Akufo-Addo and I have mutual respect for each other. Indeed, I once told him in a privileged conversation that, I have no doubt in my mind that he will make a good president.

I have no axe to grind with Akufo-Addo as a person, my abhorrence and strong views against him is because of the political platform on which he wanted to prosecute his presidential ambition.

Political affiliation, like religion, is based on ideology, dogma and conviction. In this instance, my political conviction is dialectically at variance with what President Akufo-Addo’s party stands for.

Despite my open and sometimes abrasive criticism of Akufo-Addo, I have on number of occasions patted him on the shoulder any time he did something I thought was worthy of commendation. When he decided to concede after losing the last election petition, I openly praised him for saving the nation from what would have otherwise resulted in civil war in this country.

My criticism of Akufo-Addo even now that is President will not change. Similarly, I will not hesitate to praise him when he does something right. President Akufo-Addo’s elevation of one his longtime loyal servant, Abu Jinapor, to the position of deputy Chief of Staff is a development that must guide every young politician.

The crux of this article is actually centered on a discussion I had with Abu Jinapor some years back when he was Akufo-Addo’s spokesman. It has not been my intention to share this story with the rest of the world without the permission of Abu Jinapor. What I am about to do may not be fair to him, but I hope he forgives me for letting the rest of the World know what transpired between the two of us in the build up to the 2012 elections.

Somewhere in 2012 when Abu Jinapor was Akufo-Addo spokesman, I called to advise him to be measured in some of the words he use in the media to describe his Northern brother, then President Mahama.

At the time, Abu Jinapor’s senior brother, John Jinapor, was also the spokesperson of Mr Mahama. At the same period, Abu Jinapor’s father, who is the Buipewura, was having problems with the Overlord of Gonjaland. The accusation then was that the Buipewura was riding on his son’s closeness to President Mahama to show his disdain for the Gonja overlord.

Some even went to the extent of accusing President Mahama of supporting the Buipewura against his own hometown chief. This was a dicey situation at the time and it created a whole lot of problem for President Mahama up North.

Ironically, while President Mahama was being accused of siding with the Buipewura because of John Jinapor, one of the Buipewura’s sons, Abu Jinapor, was also constantly berating Mr Mahama in the media. Abu Jinapor did not pay hid to what President Mahama was going through because of his father.

In the midst of this disturbing happening, I called Abu Jinapor to draw his attention to the torrid times President Mahama was having up North which was likely to affect his votes because of his (Abu’s) brother and father. I advised him to consider his father’s relationship with President Mahama, and be circumspect in his criticisms.

My intention was not to gag Abu Jinapor. All that I did was to call his attention to the fact he is a young man and he must be careful with some of the words he used on President Mahama. But Abu Jinapor was resolute in his defense of his choice of words and the job he had been assigned to do for Akufo-Addo.

He told me point blank that he had a firm conviction that Akufo-Addo would be President and that he was working unremittingly towards that goal. Abu Jinapor virtually “sold” out his parents in pursuit of his dream to get Akufo-Addo elected president. Not even the mention of his parent’s cordial relationship with President Mahama would prod Abu Jinapor to soften his stands.

I allowed him to have his way because I realized he was not ready to trade the pursuit of getting AkufoAddo elected president with his parent’s relationship with President Mahama. Not to talk of the privileged position his “blood” brother was serving in the Mahama government.

Lo and behold, Akufo Addo and the NPP lost the 2012 elections, and Abu Jinapor’s dream did not materialized. I planned calling him after the election to tell him “didn’t I warn you”, but for some strange reasons I shelved that idea.

But, despite all the mockery and tribulations he suffered after Akufo-Addo’s defeat, Abu did not give up on the man he vowed to taste his presidency. Even his own party members had course to doubt his loyalty to Akufo-Addo after the 2012 elections to the extent that all manner of allegations were made about him.

Just as he did not give up on Akufo-Addo despite the attacks from both his own party members and political adversaries, Akufo-Addo did not also end his “marriage” with him after the 2012 electoral defeat.

Indeed, Abu Jinapor, though was not retained as Akufo-Addo’s spokesperson for the 2016 elections, played varying roles in the NPP’s campaign until his wish came to pass on December 7 elections.

When Akufo-Addo was sworn in on January 7 to officially take office as president, he did not forget all the sacrifices that Abu Jinapor made including ‘selling’ his parents in order get him elected president.

By way for paying back Abu Jinapor for his unalloyed loyalty towards the course of getting his elected president, Akufo Addo appointed him against all odds as one of the deputy Chief of Staffs at the Flag Staff House. Regardless of Abu Jinapor’s age, President Akufo-Addo found him worthy enough among the pool of talented human resource at his disposal to occupy that critical position. That is the hallmark of loyalty.