"Let’s Ask Ourselves What Koku Said, How Could That Lead To An Overthrow?" - Atik Shades Gov't

Atik Mohammed, 'Suspended' General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), has subtly come to the defence of the Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho for making some inflammatory comments against President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government.

Speaking on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, Atik Mohammed told host Nana Yaw Kesseh that "there's nothing wrong with calling for a civilian revolution" to mean Koku Anyidoho's comments have no treasonable implications.

On January 13, 1972, a certain Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a movement that removed the Progress Party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo-Addo’s father was a ceremonial president. Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. There’ll be a civil revolt,” he said on Happy FM.

Anyidoho spent almost 48 hours in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) amidst protests and demands for his release by NDC members. 

The Accra High Court ordered the Police CID to seize some essential electronic gadgets on which information related to the alleged treasonable comments made by Koku Anyidoho are said to be stored.

The items included laptops, iPhones and ipads. Justice Patience Mills-Tetteh gave the order on Wednesday following an ex-parte motion issued at the court by the Police. The order also permitted the police to search and seize electronic devices of ‘agents’ of Anyodoho.

But to the PNC activist, the charges slapped on Mr. Anyidoho are too "huge and unimpressive".

I hold a firm belief that it was not clear-cut that he was calling for a coup d’état or he meant there’s going to be a coup d’état…If Koku is found guilty of treason, it means he will serve a death penalty. Let’s ask ourselves that what he said, how could that lead to the overthrow of the President?

…simply because you said you’re calling for a civilian revolution and defied that call with an analogy that was needless and had no place in the conversation he had, I don’t think that is enough effective grounding to invite that huge and unimpressive charge of treason”.

Atik further explained that making a call for a "civilian revolution doesn’t mean we will take arms to overthrow somebody but how it is said and the context in which it is said is what I feel lend itself to all kinds of interpretations including the interpretation that he was attempting to stage a coup or he was expressing the intention to stage a coup…When we talk about civilian revolution, it is deepening the consciousness of the civilians to demand that which is right”.

Meanwhile, Koku Anyidoho who was held in the custody of the CID of Ghana Police Service on Tuesday has been granted bail on a charge of treason.