Politics

Prof. Raymond Atuguba outlines 7 ways NPP will ‘break the eight’

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2022

Dean of the University Of Ghana School Of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba has outlined seven key points he describes as the reasons why the New Patriotic Party (NPP) wants to ‘break the eight’.

The Law Professor listed these points when he spoke on the theme: “Ghana at the Cross Roads” at the 4th Triennial Conference 2022 organised by the Ghana Studies Association in Tamale.

The Ghana Studies Association is an international affiliate of the African Studies Association which strives to provide a forum for cutting edge original research on Ghana’s society, culture, environment and history.

According to Prof. Atuguba, “Break the 8 has many more elements, even if stealing Election 2024 and installing a stooge is at the nerve center of it. The elements of the clannish edifice of Break the 8,” he outlined as follows:

1. First, a concerted attempt to obliterate or at least devalue, including in the basic Textbooks that we use to teach our children the history of our nation, the central role of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the nationalist struggle and the early years of national reconstruction and his enduring legacy in Ghana, Africa and around the world, and to replace that with a very inadequate alternative, their Dr. J. B. Danquah-I will euphemistically call this project, “The Founders of the Nation Project”;

2. The Second Project, which they euphemistically call, “The Financial Clean-up Project”, involves the identification, discipline, emasculation, strangulation, and destruction of every source of financial power, other than theirs, at a scale and pace never seen in our democratic governance, so that in 2024, they would be able to financially determine the contestants and winners of the elections, in the monied democracy that we run;

3. Thirdly, the project involves the capture and buy-out of all other parties, and some elements of the major opposition party, again, with financial incentives at a scale never seen in the last 30 years, so that these parties and elements will be at least neutral, and at worse attack dogs of the opposition, and ready and willing to call the 2024 Election for the stooge;

4. Fourth, an insistence that at the micro, meso and of course the macro levels of the public services, there is unalloyed obeisance to the political leadership for good or for bad, extending to formal and informal attempts to replace anyone suspected of even the least disloyalty, dismally reflecting in the removal, for the first time in our political history of Vice-Chancellors of public universities, purely on suspicion of party-political disloyalty;

5. The fifth element of “Break the 8” involves the incubation of parallel security forces, some forcefully integrated into some regular forces, and some not, and the use of these guns for hire for all and any forms of physical violence; culminating, some have argued, in their deployment for Election 2024, against the backdrop of real or orchestrated evidence of terrorism and violent extremism, for the purpose of restricting freedoms, terrorizing the opposition and robbing the Election;

6. Significantly, project “break the 8” also involves the targeting of all critical national voices, including those in academia, media, civil society, and even faith-based organizations, either buying them out, that is, paying them for their silence, or hounding them using the instrument of state force such as the security services, the military and the police, and the instruments of the administrative state, such as the tax authorities and the regulatory authorities, and also aimed at ensuring their silence or support, when the call on Election 2024 is made on 8th December that year; and

7. Seventh and finally, a brazen urge to do whatever is necessary to achieve set goals, no matter the cost to human lives, to the national economy, and to institutions built over a century and a half, including the most extreme methods of removing an Electoral Commissioner from office on trumped up charges, the first in our democratic history, and the storming of a sitting court to free political operatives and apparatchiks, in order to send a very clear message that the agenda will be accomplished by hook or crook, fair or foul, even if it leaves no man or woman standing, and all this is mediated and spurred on by certain toxic masculinity that has taken aggressive capture of our politics.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

Politics

Oppong Nkrumah blames the minority for Komenda Sugar Factory delay

Published

6 days ago

April 10, 2024

Majesty

He made this statement during a recent trip to the area to evaluate the coastal defence project. However, some Komenda residents are dissatisfied with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah's request to the Traditional Council to work with the Minority to offer tax breaks. According to them, the chiefs and people have already purchased property to produce sugarcane to feed the factory, which would provide work for the locals. They resisted importing semi-refined sugar for the facility. They have threatened to vote against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if President Akufo-Addo fails to operationalize the factory despite multiple pledges made to the people.

The Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has blamed the Minority in Parliament for impeding the Komenda Sugar Factory’s operationalization.

According to him, the Minority is resisting the government’s efforts to obtain tax breaks for firms importing semi-refined sugar into the nation in order to jumpstart the sugar mill.

He has asked the Komenda Traditional Council to work with the Minority to provide the tax waiver and begin operations at the facility.

He made this statement during a recent trip to the area to evaluate the coastal defence project.

However, some Komenda residents are dissatisfied with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah’s request to the Traditional Council to work with the Minority to offer tax breaks.

According to them, the chiefs and people had already purchased property to produce sugarcane to feed the factory, which would provide work for the locals.

They resisted importing semi-refined sugar for the facility.

They have threatened to vote against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if President Akufo-Addo fails to operationalize the factory despite multiple pledges made to the people.

Politics

Abu Sakara explains what led to his union with Alan Kyerematen

Published

6 days ago

April 10, 2024

Majesty

Dr. Sakara stated in an interview with JoyNews' AM Show on Wednesday, April 10, that their partnership transcends personal interests and is entirely dedicated to helping the nation. He stated that their partnership is intended to allow the participation of independent-minded individuals to the country's growth, regardless of political allegiance.

Dr. Abu Sakara Foster, the founder of the National Interest Movement (NIM), has explained the rationale for his partnership with Alan Kyerematen, the founder of the Movement for Change (M4C).

He highlighted that their collaboration is motivated by a shared ambition for the growth of the country.

According to Dr. Sakara, their goal is to implement creative policies that would solve the obstacles impeding the country’s reform plan.

Dr Sakara stated in an interview with JoyNews’ AM Show on Wednesday, April 10, that their partnership transcends personal interests and is entirely dedicated to helping the nation.

He stated that their partnership is intended to allow the participation of independent-minded individuals in the country’s growth, regardless of political allegiance.

“The desire to think outside the box led us to a union of minds and then we said why don’t we create some kind of electoral alliance that will address this but for a change, it is not about you and me but we need to put together a framework and a key understanding that will allow other people to join because then they know that it is not about us,” he said.

When asked who initiated their partnership, he answered that Mr. Kyerematen contacted him.

Dr Sakara explained that this approach took place before Mr. Kyerematen’s loss in the NPP presidential primary.

“Well, I think he approached me first. I know him but I don’t know him that much. He approached me from the point of view of his transformation plan. He approached me not for political purposes but for the purpose of formulating a great transformation plan,” he added.

Independent presidential candidate Alan John Kyerematen announced a strategic alliance with the NIM founder on Thursday, April 4.

This signified the beginning of an alliance known as “The Alliance for Revolutionary Change (ARC)”

In a statement announcing the Alliance’s official debut on Wednesday, April 17, Mr. Kyerematen went into depth about the organization’s goals.

The ARC’s main objective is to bring together Ghanaians from different backgrounds, with an emphasis on women and youth in particular, with the ultimate goal of selecting Ghana’s first independent candidate to be president.

Politics

Chief Justice defends decision to expedite Dafeamekpor’s injunction application

Published

2 weeks ago

April 4, 2024

Majesty

On March 27, the Supreme Court denied a suit by South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor disputing the confirmation of new ministerial and deputy ministerial nominations. A five-member panel of the court unanimously determined that the application was frivolous and a misuse of the legal process. The applicant, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, had sought to suspend the vetting process in Parliament awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the President's decision to reassign Ministers without Parliament's input. However, the Supreme Court concluded that the MP's appeal had no direct connection to the candidates before Parliament because it was largely about reassigned ministers.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo has defended her decision to expedite the injunction action brought by South Dayi MP Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, which seeks to block parliament’s approval of President Akufo Addo’s newly nominated ministers.

Justice Torkonoo declared that the matter was ready for hearing since all required processes had been completed.

Addressing media in Accra on Thursday, the Chief Justice announced new procedures to prioritise cases that have completed appropriate formalities for a speedy hearing, circumventing court-mandated timeframes.

She went on to describe the reasoning for establishing a shift system in certain courts, emphasising the necessity to reduce judges’ workload.

On March 27, the Supreme Court denied a suit by South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor disputing the confirmation of new ministerial and deputy ministerial nominations.

A five-member panel of the court unanimously determined that the application was frivolous and a misuse of the legal process.

The applicant, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, had sought to suspend the vetting process in Parliament awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the President’s decision to reassign Ministers without Parliament’s input.

However, the Supreme Court concluded that the MP’s appeal had no direct connection to the candidates before Parliament because it was largely about reassigned ministers.