President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has described the eight (8) year tenure under former President Akufo-Addo as the worst ever in the history of Ghana.
According to him, no matter what the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) seeks to whitewash the legacy of the former president, they will fail woefully at it.
Franklin Cudjoe’s stance follows a comment made by the NPP’s 2024 Presidential Candidate. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. “President Kufour and the NPP were vilified after 8 years of rule, but today, President Kufour is a celebrated former president. I am certain that with time posterity will vindicate the NPP and Nana Akufo-Addo,” Bawumia stated.
Reacting to this statement, Franklin Cudjoe countered, “No way. It will never happen. From now Akufo-Addo remains the worst terrible leader since 1844.”
Addressing party stakeholders during a thank-you tour stop in Enchi, Western North Region, on Sunday, April 27, Dr. Bawumia also revealed that former President Kufuor had urged him to remain hopeful despite his electoral defeat.
“After the 2024 elections, President Kufuor shared some inspiring words with me. He told me not to despair because when he contested the first time as NPP Presidential Candidate in 1996, he had 39 per cent, but he and the party worked hard and came back strongly to win four years later in 2000,” Dr. Bawumia recounted.
He explained that former President Kufuor had reminded him that securing nearly 42% of the votes in his first attempt was a strong foundation to build on, especially considering historical patterns in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
“He encouraged me and said I had nearly 42% as a first-timer and he had 39%. He also said nobody in the 4th Republic, especially in the NPP, has won on the first attempt,” Dr. Bawumia added.
Drawing further parallels, he noted that former President John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) also failed in his initial two attempts before winning the presidency on his third try, while President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo achieved victory on his third attempt as well.
“If you look at the history in the NDC, former President Mills didn’t win it on the first attempt. He won it on the third attempt and President Mahama lost twice before coming back to win again,” Dr. Bawumia pointed out.
He urged NPP members to remain steadfast and united, assuring them that the party could return to power in 2028 if they built on the momentum and lessons learned from 2024.
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