Private legal practitioner, Marin Kpebu, has chided former President John Agyekum Kufuor, saying his presidency described by some as one of the best in the 4th Republic, was not as perfect as may have been categorized among his peers.
The human rights lawyer and advocate, assesses that, during the later days of the administration, the former president who served from 2001 to 2008, were not something Ghanaians cherished.
“When he was in government, it’s true his last days were not happy days at all okay. So he should be reminded that it is not everybody that embraces him as a good leader, no!
Rather what he is enjoying is that because it has been a while, the younger ones who don’t know much when you say Kufuor was a good leader then they will imbibe” he said.
I lived at that his regime, I won’t count him as a very good leader so when it comes to him has to know that he has to sit up for the last days he has on this earth he should be truthful us as Ghanaians I don’t like that”.
Speaking at a programme on lifestyle audit organized by Media General on Monday November 24, Kpebu called out the former President for refusing to delve into issues of national interest.
As part of the discussion, the former president who graced the occasion, was asked to bring his perspective to the controversial allegations that have been levelled against Ken Ofori-Atta, the former Finance Minister under the erstwhile Akufo-Akufo.
Kufuor in response said he was not abreast with information concerning the issues and so refrained from passing a comment on the subject matter.
This position of his Kpebu said was untenable wondering why an important issue as those, the onetime head of state will shy away from. He said behaviour such as what the former president exhibited was what is drawing the country back.
“I must say I am disappointed that when it came to Ofori-Atta he says he doesn’t know anything, he doesn’t want to comment that is the most important thing so you see let be blunt to President Kufuor you know some of these things if we do we will not change that is the very thing we’ve been talking about.
That is the Ghanaian attitude nobody wants to bear the brunt, how can you sit in Ghana and you contribute to this programme and you say you don’t know anything about Ofori-Atta’s case? I mean it is not [good]. And so that is why we are taking him on.”
He recalled an instance in the run up to the December 2024 general election, where the former President came out publicly to endorse the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr Mahamudud Bawumia but his call was not heeded to as he was rejected massively.
“You remember the last time he came and told us that we should vote for Bawumia and we told him that no, it is not on. So if he wants to come to the debate he should come honestly because this evasive answers and the rest we will not take from him. It is better we speak the truth”.
By Gifty Boateng