There was a rapturous and thunderous uproar when the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 general elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo arrived at the Emmanuel Presbyterian hall in Osu yesterday, to address a press conference.
Hours before the much awaited press conference to assess President Mills and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration's five months in office, hundreds of party supporters clad in party colours gathered at the forecourt of the church premises to give Nana Addo a heroic welcome.
Some of them displayed with motorbikes draped in NPP colours whilst others waved their flags singing party songs.
All this time, party activists and leaders including Chairman Peter Mac Manu, General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, National Organizer, Lord Commey, National Youth Organiser, John Boadu among a host of others were arriving at the grounds one after the other. Finally, when Nana Addo arrived around 11:30am in a convoy of vehicles, the entire crowd went agog, amidst shouts of "Nana oo Nana".
In response, Nana Addo waved back to the crowd, with a thumps up and victory signs.
Some rushed to his vehicle, wanting to catch a glimpse of the man they have so long been yearning to hear speak, whilst others tried to shake his hands.
Nana Addo then stepped out of his vehicle exchanging pleasantries with both supporters and party leaders present. At this point the atmosphere was charged as party supporters cheered him on.
The crowd went haywire when they heard the Daddy Lumba-composed song Nana Addo's 2008 campaign, 'Nana, Nana, Nana die oye winner' in the background.
At this point, most of those who were trying to shake the hands of Nana Addo abandoned the idea and jumped to the floor to dance their hearts out.
There and then, Nana Addo could not but join the supporters on the dancing floor, doing the 'we are moving forward' sign.
When he got the opportunity to address the anxious crowd, Nana Addo launched a scorching attack on President Mills and his barely six-month old NDC administration, saying "instead of uniting us and fostering peace, the last four months have been spent intimidating innocent citizens and political opponents."
If not for anything at all, he said "we have seen physical attacks on NPP members in several parts of the country, including Agbogbloshie, Kumasi and Tamale."
Whilst appreciating the fact that the leadership of the NPP have worked very hard to restrain their supporters from reacting to the acts of intimidation and provocation from their colleague NDC supporters, Nana Addo emphasized that sooner than later, the militants among them might be compelled by circumstances to take measures to protect themselves, their interests and their loved ones.
At that point, he said "events will then be out of control, driving all of us towards a point of no return."
He therefore asked all stakeholders including the President of the Republic to help protect and preserve the country's democracy for posterity.
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Rawlings Togo Bandits in The Gambia??? Dida Halake Explains!!!
The recent failed coup attempt in Togo casts some light on rebel activities in that country and somehow links it to the pictured gentlemans activities in The Gambia. The first coup attempt was against late President Eyadema and it was organized according to reliable information from Jerry Rawlings Ghana by Gilchrist Olympio, the current Opposition Leader who has just legged it to Ghana. When Gilchrist sent in his boys prematurely so as to make himself the President should the coup succeed, Rawlings was mad and summoned him to The Castle in the middle of the night. Jerry put the trembling Gilchrist under house arrest for 2 years for his impetuous behaviour which resulted in the failure of the coup attempt. Olympios nephew Lucian Agbeko Kwame Hounkanlil Olympio (pictured) was convicted in absentia and he ran away to Europe (He has since confessed to his key role in that earlier coup). From London where he now teaches, he has been able to continue clandestine political work and there is some claim that he and the Togo Opposition clandestinely supported last months failed coup attempt too then immediately writing the post-coup Press Release from London to absolve Gilchrist Olympio.
For the Olympios it really is a matter of revenge against the Eyademas. The late President Eyadema overthrew and executed the First President of Togo the dictatorial Sylvanus Olympio in 1963. The second generation of Olympios which includes Rawlings (who some claim is really Togolese) have not forgiven the Eyademas and are determined to overthrow them. It is almost an ancient biblical tribal feud that the Olympios are embarked on.
Lucian Olympio is a regular visitor to The Gambia through his former girlfriend. The girlfriend dumped him for fellow Fula man Jungo Bah, former diplomat to Belgium. Apparently, Olympio has a group of his boys in The Gambia and they were sent to visit the ex-girlfriend in the Cotton Club. Lucian Olympios financial clout is such that he was not only able to get away with invading Jungo Bahs home and confronting Jungo Bahs wife (about Jungo snatching girlfriend!), but he was also able to get an NIA senior official called George to visit and warn Jungo Bah. The Gambian girlfriend of Jungo Bahs remains faithful to Jungo Bah. Olympio has also been seeking alliance with a certain influential Gambian to pressurise Jungo Bah, but the Gambian has wisely declined inspite of Olympios occasional remittances. But Olympios boys still remain there, so beware Mr. Jungo Bah!!! Although I am proud to say that although Gambians may receive remittances out of need, they do not necessarily follow this up with harassing fellow Gambians on behalf of such unscrupulous people. In other countries, as we all know, they would kill somebody innocent just for a remittance!
The Olympios are a Mulatto mix and light-skinned. To this day it is understood that many still try to keep their skin light through marriage to other light-skinned people (To his credit, Jerry Rawlings had the guts to marry a beautiful dark-skinned African woman whom he still loves nice peace on skin colour issues last week Watchman!). Until the abolition of slavery, the Mulatto Olympios related to the white slave traders through blood were slave dealers selling black Africans to be transported across the Atlantic. To this day the Mulatto Olympios consider themselves superior to darker-skinned Black Africans like the Eyademas and the majority Togolese. Just as happened with the Americo-Liberian rule of the Tubmans in Liberia in the 1980s when Samuel Doe led a coup, the Black Africans resented this condenscending attitude. That led to the deposing and assassination of President Olympio in 1963 and the assumption of power by Eyadema.
But we hope the youngest Olympio is not planning the next move against the Eyademas from The Gambia, for peaceful Gambia will never tolerate such a thing against any of our African neighbours. Anyhow, would-be coupists and revolutionaries should remain level headed and certainly keep their eyes on the ball hot-headed passion may expose their stories to journalists like us when they pursue their jealousy too far!
PS. On my plans for writing this piece being discovered, I was threatened with all sorts of calamities. Two strangers visited my home in Kotu pretending to be state security and asking for me. I have ascertained from authorities that these chaps are simply bandits and they have been reported to Kotu Police Station
By Dida Halake didahalake@hotmail.com
May 06, 2009 by FREEDOMNEWSPAPER.COM May 10th by ALLGAMBIAN.NET.