President J. A. Kufuor has appealed to political parties, their followers and indeed Ghanaians to approach the December elections with the attitude of tolerance and not with the mentality of war.

“I am leaving the presidency but I must emphasise that we are not at war because of the upcoming elections,” he said at a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Oguaa Traditional Area in Cape Coast on the occasion of the Fetu Afahye last Saturday.

He said it was the right of every flag bearer to travel around the country to campaign without any feeling of intimidation, adding that it was important to remember that only one person would be elected as President of the country despite the efforts of the many aspirants.

“We are all one people and not enemies.

 

I must say here that Prof. Atta Mills who is sitting here with us, is a brother and not an enemy just because he is the flag bearer of the NDC,” he added, in apparent reference to skirmishes at the durbar grounds when his personal security men had a confrontation with a bodyguard of the NDC flag bearer.

At the durbar, security personnel including some policemen, men in military clothes and others in civilian attire dragged the bodyguard of Prof. Atta Mills whose name was given as Angola, off the durbar grounds.

Before this incident, it was all jubilation as around 3 p.m. a procession of chiefs in impressive traditional regalia and in palanquins, arrived at the durbar grounds when President Kufuor and other high government officials had arrived and taken their seats.

Shortly after this it was announced that Prof. Atta Mills and his entourage were ready to exchange pleasantries with the government officials on the dais.

However, on reaching the dais, the presidential security men prevented Prof. Mills’s entourage and bodyguards from climbing the dais because of the large number of people following him.

This created some confusion which lasted about three minutes, after which Prof. Mills was allowed to exchange pleasantries with the government officials on the dais without his entourage.

In turn, when the President and his entourage went to the Bakano end of the park to return Prof. Mills’s pleasantries, another confrontation ensued between the bodyguards of the NDC flag bearer who wanted to prevent some of the bodyguards of the President from following the President to exchange greetings with Prof. Atta Mills.

The episode created a tense atmosphere at the durbar grounds as many people gathered in pockets to discuss the issue.

The festival was also graced by the flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom; and the Vice-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; and other high government officials including the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Honourable Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng as well as the Central Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur.

In his address, the President said the government had been truthful with Ghanaians and worked to enhance the socio-economic lives of the people, adding that claims that there was no money in the pockets of the people must be seen as only a political campaign slogan.

President Kufuor charged Ghanaians to retain the NPP in power if the various policies of the government had significantly improved their well-being.

He acknowledged the important role Cape Coast had played in training capable manpower for the nation and noted with concern complaints that educational standards in the metropolis were deteriorating.

He said it was to improve the quality of education in schools that the government had made efforts to upgrade the teacher training colleges to diploma-awarding institutions to equip them to train better teachers for improved teaching and learning in the schools.

Osabarimba Kwesi Atta, the Paramount Chief of Oguaa Traditional Area, thanked the President for keeping faith with the people of Cape Coast and ensuring that the area was elevated to metropolitan status.

 

He also registered his appreciation for the accreditation and support for the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences and the commencement of work on the Cape Coast stadium.

He appealed for the dredging of the Fosu Lagoon which, he said, was in a pitiable state.

Osabarimba Atta called on businessmen to come to the area to invest, since there was land ready for lease in the area.

Meanwhile, the Regional organiser of the NDC, Mr Light Koomson, told the Daily Graphic on Sunday that Angola, the bodyguard of Prof. Atta Mills, was sent to the Central Regional hospital and later referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Story by Shirley Asiedu-Addo.