Rather, the inability of the NDC government under President Mills to ensure justice is done devoid of party affiliation, especially the failure of the police to arrest and prosecute persons who perpetrate violence against NPP supporters, led to his call on NPP members to stand up and fight for their rights, “after all, all die be die,” he has declared.
Nana Akufo-Addo was explaining why he used the words ‘all-die-be-die’ when he exhorted his party members during his tour of the nation earlier in the year in an interview with Joy FM. The NPP flagbearer first made the declaration at Koforidua in the Eastern Region; they were first aired for public consumption on Citi 97.3 FM on February 8, 2011.
Various interpretations have been ascribed to the declaration, with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) citing it as evidence of the opposition leader’s bellicose nature and hunger for power, while the NPP say it is a call by their leader for them to stand up for their rights.
Speaking on the Accra based station on Friday April 29, 2011, Nana Akufo-Addo said his record in the politics of Ghana “tells you that I’m not one of the power hungry politicians in Africa.
“I devoted my life to the struggle to democracy and what does that mean, it means a system of governments with limited powers, executive, judiciary, legislature working in different ways…and through the process I’ve never taken out a gun in anger or in defence, I’ve never advocated for violence in our politics”.
Citing his actions in the run up to and during the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, He said “I believe that my conduct in 2008, coming out clearly to accept the results and congratulating the winner and expressing the willingness to help in whatever way I can, to make sure that democratic exercise and public policy in our country is on the rise demonstrates clearly that I am not hungry for power at all cost, I’m not a warmonger”.
Nana Akufo-Addo expressed displeasure at what he described as “a culture of impunity” that has been on the rise since the NDC and President Mills took over the governance of the country. He bemoaned the “unnecessary” violence that characterised the three bye-elections that have taken place under the Mills administration, saying, “they were in sharp contrast to bye-elections conducted under the NPP era”
To make matters worse, the NDC government has failed to arrest the persons who fomented mayhem during the various by-elections. “We saw no attempt by the public authorities to hold anybody responsible for these acts of violence. Give me one example of one single person that has been arrested by the security agencies of the country for those acts of violence?
“On top of it, everyday, you and I hear and read stories about foot soldiers of the ruling government taking matters in their own hands removing DCEs from their offices, tearing up public tender documents, we hear of properties being burnt and no action seems to be taken by the authorities against any of the people who are conducting themselves in this way”.
Nana Addo added that what the NPP wants is to be assured by the ruling government that election 2012 will be free and fair.
“I think the simplest thing would be for the president and his national security advisers to assure the Ghanaian people that all is well and all will be well so there is no need for anybody to get excited about this, ‘like Akufo-Addo please don’t worry, the polls of 2012 would be devoid of intimidation and violence and you can trust the security agencies of this country to maintain law and order.’ I think that is the simplest way of shutting me up and I would gladly keep quiet once I have those assurances. Not just assurances but on the day, the assurances would be carried out.
“We’re not going to just lie down and be rolled over, we’re not going to go out looking for any violence, we’re not going to go out and incite any violence, what we’re saying is that we’re not going to down sit down and be beaten.”
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