TEMA, Ghana, 17th October: The Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has attributed the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s victory in the 2024 general elections to what he describes as divine intervention, arguing that God intervened to prevent a possible crisis in the country.
According to him, the circumstances surrounding the Electoral Commission (EC) under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo raised concerns about the credibility of the electoral process, making the NDC’s eventual victory a miracle.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme on Saturday, October 17, Mr Koomson questioned why the former EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, required round-the-clock military protection if the then government had nothing to hide.
“If Akufo-Addo was doing the right thing, then how come Jean Mensa was being protected by the military 24/7? When you go to her house, there was a military presence with their armoured cars. When she was going to the office, there would be military presence straight to her office. Even with that, Ghanaians sat down for all this to happen,” he said.
Mr Koomson maintained that, considering the developments at the Electoral Commission at the time, he did not believe the NDC would win the 2024 elections without divine intervention.
“2024 was the intervention of God. It was God that came in, I am telling you, because there was no way the NDC was going to win. God saw and knew that, with all that was going on at the EC, if He did not come in, there would be problems in this country. That is how come things changed the way they did. It was a miracle that happened, so the power that is now in the hands of the NDC, they should not joke with it,” he stated.
Jean Mensa Would Have Been Removed – Mr. Koomson
The labour leader also highlighted the continued stay in office of Jean Mensa, arguing that President John Dramani Mahama had not demonstrated any intention to remove her despite the concerns raised about the 2024 elections.
He compared the situation to the removal of former EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei under the Akufo-Addo administration, which he believes demonstrated a different approach to leadership appointments at the Commission.
“Jean Mensa is still at post, and President Mahama is not talking about removing her. If it was Akufo-Addo who came to power, he would have removed Jean Mensa long ago because we all know how he handled Charlotte Osei’s removal. It was ghosts that signed the resolution; we have never known those people who signed, and he managed to facilitate the removal of that lady,” he said.
His comments come amid controversy over President Mahama’s appointment of Emelia Afi Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the appointment, questioning Ms Agbenyo’s ability to remain politically neutral in the discharge of her duties.
Mr Koomson, however, defended the appointment, arguing that the President had not violated any law by appointing a Deputy Chairperson of the Commission.
He further suggested that those calling for changes to the appointment process should pursue constitutional amendments if they believe the existing provisions are inadequate.
“What is the Constitution saying? If they want to amend the Constitution of Ghana, they should do it because, as of now, I don’t think President Mahama has violated or breached any law by appointing a Deputy Chairperson. They should tell the Constitutional Amendment Committee to look at this article, but for now, nobody can say President Mahama is wrong,” he stated.
Mr. Koomson Questions CODEO’s Position
Mr Koomson also questioned the position of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), which has condemned Ms Agbenyo’s appointment and called for her immediate resignation.
He expressed suspicion that some individuals associated with the NPP are working to undermine the government’s public image by influencing institutions across the country.
“But CODEO, I want to know who constitutes CODEO because the NPP are desperate, and they are everywhere. They have entered Labour; they are everywhere and trying to make the government unpopular, and we are fighting them, but people don’t know,” he said.
“They have infiltrated every institution and are doing so many funny things, but in our area, Organised Labour, they should not try,” he added.
NDC Must Act Decisively Against NPP – Mr. Koomson
The GFL Secretary-General urged the governing NDC not to be distracted by criticisms from the opposition but to act decisively on matters it considers necessary to address.
He used the analogy of a poisonous snake to caution the governing party against underestimating its political opponents.
“The NDC should be focused. They should not be distracted by this noise from the NPP because the noise will not stop. If you have killed a very poisonous snake and you are not certain it is dead, and you start playing with it, it will bite you to an extent that you will never survive,” he said.
He further argued that the NPP lacked the moral authority to criticise the government on certain issues, particularly in view of the controversy surrounding former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who is outside Ghana.
Mr Koomson called on the former minister to return to the country, insisting that his return would help demonstrate the NPP’s commitment to accountability and national development.
‘Ken Ofori-Atta Should Return to Ghana’
Mr Koomson said he would continue to mention Mr Ofori-Atta’s name until the former finance minister returned to Ghana to address the issues surrounding his absence.
“I will continue mentioning this man’s name because if this man is a genuine person, an honest person who is sincere and loves Ghana, he should come back home. Even if you are a politician, what do you fear when you are doing the right thing?” he questioned.
He challenged Mr Ofori-Atta to return to Ghana and explain his position to the public, arguing that doing so would help restore confidence in the NPP’s commitment to accountability.
“Come back to Ghana and say, ‘You are looking for me. I went for medical treatment, and I am back, even though I am not completely healed, because what has been said about me is not true, so I have come.’ Then Ghanaians will believe the NPP is a credible party that loves the country’s development,” he stated.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh / #RomeoWrites
