As was indicated by the host of Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, when he started explaining this rather mysterious, never-heard before process of making presidents in Ghana, this is not a story that many would easily believe.
The details as the veteran journalist has shared it, also because he concludes his narration by stating why he has been an avowed supporter and defender of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presidency, even when it has seemed like he shouldn’t.
So, according to Paul Adom-Otchere, President Nana Akufo-Addo became the first person seeking to become the president of Ghana, who didn’t go through a supposed laid-down spiritual path created by the country’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as quoted by Ghanaweb.com.
Speaking on the Tuesday, April 25, 2023, edition of his program, the journalist explained that during the era of Kwame Nkrumah, he laid down some spiritual processes that all presidents after him were supposed to follow, and failure to do so meant that they will never get to the end of their tenures.
He explained that it is this path that the likes of Edward Akufo-Addo, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, and Dr, Hilla Limann did not follow in that led to their overthrow as political leaders of Ghana.
“You may not believe it, but it is true. This is Osagyefo the president. Now, since Osagyefo the president left, and when he died, it is believed that he determined how every other person should become president of Ghana. It’s a spiritual matter so you’d have to believe it or not; it’s not verifiable.
“Osagyefo had determined that for you to become president of Ghana, he had determined a certain spiritual path. This story I am telling you, has quite a bit to do with our good friend who died, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey… for the presidents that came after him… Edward Akufo-Addo and Prime Minister Busia, together they formed the executive of the second republic. Both of them determined that they would not follow the path, or they probably didn’t even know that Nkrumah had determined some path.
“For those who didn’t know that Nkrumah had determined a path for you to become a president of Ghana, they were overthrown. Edward Akufo-Addo and Prime Minister Busia were overthrown because they didn’t know, or didn’t use the path that Nkrumah had determined…
“Then comes Dr. Limann who either did not know or didn’t along the path to be president of Ghana, so he was overthrown. Then comes the famous JJ. JJ started by a coup d’état and later transferred to a constitutional rule. When he was about to transfer to constitutional rule, he was told that, ‘chief, for you to be president of Ghana, like Nkrumah was elected, you have to go through a certain spiritual path, and also do certain things,’” he explained.
Paul Adom-Otchere continued his narration by saying that while Jerry John Rawlings started as a military ruler, he also agreed to follow in this strange, mysterious route before he was able to fully complete his democratic two-term political tenure.
He stated some of the things that, for instance, JJ Rawlings had to do that are evidences of this mystery.
He added that the coming of John Agyekum Kufuor also took the same path.
“Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings agreed. That is the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum at the old Polo Grounds; that was his creation. It‘s related to this story I’m telling you… JJ putting up the Nkrumah Mausoleum to honour Dr. Kwame Nkrumah at the old Polo Grounds, bringing his body from Nkroful to Accra, is related to this story. So, JJ did that for two terms. Then comes John Agyekum Kufuor; he was told that if he did not go through this path to be president of Ghana, ‘you will never be president of Ghana,’ Well, he obeyed.
“So, during Ghana at 50, billboards were put up of Nkrumah and Kufuor sitting in a chair… laughing… and then the renaming of the Kwame Nkrumah University… President Kufuor restored the Nkrumah name into that university… because if you don’t do something to enhance the Nkrumah name, forget it, if you win the election, they will overthrow you,” he added.
According to Paul, when President John Evans Atta-Mills also came into office, he did the same things, just as John Dramani Mahama.
He explained, for instance, that John Mahama restored the Kwame Nkrumah Circle with the statue of Nkrumah, as a way of enhancing the name of the country’s first president, as proof of this spiritual mystery.
However, the veteran journalist stated that during Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s time, for the first two times he tried to become president (in 2008, 2012), he vehemently fought this spiritual path and paid the price for it.
“Fast-forward, Nana Addo, as he was then called, was told that to become president of Ghana, you have to pass here, and you have to do something, and he said no. he said he would never do it, and it’s not because ‘I am a Christian or religious; I won’t do it.’ And that’s why I said Obetsebi-Lamptey is in the mix.
“So, in 2008, when he lost the election, he was told that, ‘Chief, you see why you lost the election? You lost this election because you didn’t do the thing.’ He must have given it a thought, I think. Then comes 2012 and he said he won’t do it, but they said if you don’t do it, you can’t become president of Ghana, but he still insisted. 2012 came and he lost.
“So, after the election, they went back to him… so, he gave it a thought and so he called some spiritual people. And this story I’m telling you, Ken Ofori-Atta is very involved in this story, because he went to South Africa, met some guy who was talking to him about why it is difficult for his cousin to be president, and this South African person said there is something you people need to do. And Ken said I know; we’ve been told, but it’s difficult for us – that’s not our faith; that’s not our worship, we can’t.,” he explained.
Paul Adon-Otchere further stated that eventually, it had to take the intervention of some religious leaders in Ghana to break this spiritual aura around the country before Akufo-Addo could rule without any challenges.
He also claimed that the confusion around the change of date for the national elections from December 7 to November 7 in 2016 form part of this.
He added that until that spiritual bondage was broken, Akufo-Addo would not have been able to successfully run a two-term presidency in Ghana.
The journalist added that it is for this reason that he supports the government of Nana Akufo-Addo.
“So, Ken came back and organised spiritual people… and said can we go and overturn this thing? Well, about 12 or 16 of them listened and said ok, Mr President, where is the thing? Eh said the thing here; I’ve been there before… they organised cars and went to look at it… They said what we need to do is a prayer chain – a very serious prayer chain… and we have to start now. They start and discover a lot more in the narrative, so they need to move from that spot to other parts of the country.
“They came and told the president that they were on it and that they could release Ghana from these shackles, however, we need more time. However, we have been told that you and your party want the election on November 7 – this 2016…
“So, Akufo-Addo is the only president who has ascended the throne not going through that and that is why I stand with him. He’s the only one president who is going to do a two-term, who has not gone through the path, that is why you see the things that are happening happening.
“The furore against his candidature at the beginning, it came out of the noise of evil; it’s out of the noise of evil… because the spirits knew that he would not obey that path,” he said.
