Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, the renegade New Patriotic Party (NPP) member, who wanted his party to lose last year’s crucial general elections but failed miserably, has broken his long silence.
He is now complaining about the appointments of the man he swore would never be President of Ghana.
He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was wrong to have nominated Dominic Nitiwul, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbila to serve as Minister of Defence.
Broken Silence
He said on Joy FM yesterday that he would have preferred the nomination of a senior figure as Minister of Defence instead of the youthful Nitiwul, 39, who was the minority spokesperson on defence, saying “I believe a more senior person should have been put there.”
“I know the military well. The military has certain settings and a way they behave. I think they will be more comfortable with a very senior figure,” he added.
“You are going to deal with people who are very straightforward. What they dislike is arrogance. The moment you display a peck of arrogance that is the end of you, so I will advise that he should be polite and calm in his office.”
Parliament has already approved the nomination of Nitiwul, a former deputy minority leader, to pave way for his swearing in.
Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe became the ‘cheerleader’ of the previous Mahama-led NDC administration, which intensified its hate campaign against the then NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo during the December general elections in which Mr. Mahama lost miserably by over a million votes.
Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe described Nana Akufo-Addo as an ‘intolerant’ person who could not lead Ghana and said the NPP was not ready for power under his leadership.
Dr Nyaho Tamakloe ditched his party and friendship with Nana Akufo-Addo to promote the cause of his nephew former President Mahama.
He even recorded video interview advert to boost the chances of then candidate John Mahama
Akufo-Addo Hatred
On the eve of the election, he intensified his vitriolic campaign against Nana Akufo-Addo by warning Ghanaians against voting for him.
He said that the intolerance of Nana Akufo-Addo could spell doom for the country in an unlikely event that he is elected as president.
“NPP is not ready for power; it will be very dangerous to hand over power to a party that is not ready.”
He said then President John Mahama was the best leader for Ghanaians.
Dr Tamakloe said President Mahama was emulating the style of leadership of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah and should be re-elected.
“The rate of infrastructural investment in these three and half years of President Mahama’s administration is what has made the difference. He has done so much and he deserves a second term,” he added.
Renegade Members
Apart from Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe, there were a number of disgruntled NPP members, including the suspended National Chairman Paul Afoko, 2nd Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe, Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy, Baah Achamfuor, Michael Ampong, who were deeply involved in the campaign to ensure the defeat of the NPP in the 2016 elections.
They campaigned against the party by paying people to vote against the NPP.
Paul Afoko was reportedly seen in Wa campaigning against NPP.
He is said to have stated that even if someone would develop the North, it should be northerner, inferring to John Mahama.
Mr Afoko also granted a special interview to Africawatch Magazine and attacked his own party in a special edition of the magazine.
He even indicated publicly that he might not vote for the NPP.
“I am not sure I will vote for Nana Addo. My vote is my secret; it’s up to me and my God whom I will vote for,” he told UTV, an Accra-based private television station.
Others like Alhaji Asoma Banda, Kwesi Pratt, Hassan Ayariga, Akua Donkor and NDC leaders, all said Nana Akufo-Addo could never be President.
Kwesi Pratt even asked NPP members to get ambulances ready because the NDC was going to give the opposition a shocker.
Political Career
The shocking defeat of John Mahama by then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo appears to have ended the ex-President’s political career.
The then ruling NDC with tacit support from some ‘leading’ members, including Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe, had promised to ‘retire’ Nana Akufo-Addo but the 72-year-old astute lawyer appears to have ended the active political career of the 58-year-old.
Mahama’s Rejection
President Mahama and his NDC were flatly rejected by Ghanaians at the polls on December 7, last year.
Relations of Mr. Mahama are persuading him not to contest the next presidential election in 2020 even though the ex-president has not stated whether he wants call it quit or make a comeback.
Some analysts have said the huge gap of over one million votes garnered by President Akufo-Addo against ex-President Mahama showed that the ex-President will have a daunting task if he considers contesting again for 2020.
Strong Showing
Nana Akufo-Addo silenced his critics who had put in place a well-calculated scheme to enable President Mahama to win the contest.
Nana Addo polled 5,716,609 votes, representing 53.84 percent, to defeat then candidate John Mahama, who secured 4,713,277 votes, representing 44.40 per cent.
Apart from President Akufo-Addo’s historic electoral victory, the NPP also secured majority in parliament, clinching 169 seats as against the NDC’s 106 seats.
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