Watch your language if you want Ghana’s democracy to last – Akata Pore to Akufo-Addo

A former member of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), Sergeant Daniel Alolga Akata Pore, has advised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to exercise caution with his public statements.

He said the recent statements from the President on the 2024 general elections can harm Ghana’s democracy.

He criticized the president's remarks about not going to hand over power to a previously defeated opponent (John Mahama), stating it is unbecoming of his position and detrimental to the nation's welfare.

Some of the language used by politicians is also unhelpful. The president has stated he will not hand over power—is this merely political rhetoric? As a president, one should not make jokes. Is it also jest when he declares he will ensure Bawumia's victory by any means? Being in a position of power, such statements are concerning, especially if they lead to an actual refusal to hand over power.

“That's not the kind of language the president should be using. It doesn't help. And one of his ministers also said a similar thing. So, basically what I'm saying is, if you want this democracy to last, you want the middle class to continue enjoying the honeypot that they've gotten from the 1992 constitution, then bring some decency into your behavior,” he said.

Sergeant Akata Pore also accused late President Jerry John Rawlings of deceiving them into the June 4 revolution.

He said the late founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) acted like he believed in the ideals of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to convince them to support the coup d’etat.

The same thing Rawlings was. I tell you, I didn't know that he hated Dr. Nkrumah. Rawlings fooled everybody. Look, Rawlings gave me three books on the ABC of socialism. When he met me for the first time, he said, 'I really respect you because you can see forward. You will have to follow Nkrumah.”

That's why I was interested in helping him out. Assisting him to bring about change was tricky because I was working for military intelligence as well. So, in a way, I betrayed the military, but it was for a greater good in my view, so that's why I did so, he recounted during an interview with JoyNews on the UPfront show.

The ex-sergeant expressed regret for compromising military intelligence to assist Rawlings in his bid for an uprising.

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