I don’t agree with Koku’s coup comment – Spio

Former Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has dissociated himself from the coup d’etat comments made by the Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho.

According to Mr Spio-Garbrah, his involvement in a demonstration against the US-Ghana defence cooperation deal and seeing to the wellbeing of Mr Anyidoho who has been charged for treason, does not mean he endorses the comments made by Mr Anyidoho.

He said in a post on his Facebook wall on Wednesday 28 March 2018: “The demonstration was announced long before Koku's arrest. So the demo was/is not about Koku's arrest but the general misgovernance of Ghana leading to the Military Agreement with the USA. Joining others to see to the welfare of Koku does not imply agreement with any statement”.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service picked up Mr Anyidoho on Tuesday, 27 March, for inciting civilians to launch a coup d’etat against the Akufo-Addo government.

Mr Anyidoho was picked up at the Press Centre in Accra where he and several other opposition leaders belonging to the Progressive Forces, were holding a news conference, to condemn the government for signing a security cooperation deal with the United States of America.



Class91.3FM's Joshua Kojo Mensah reported that CID officers wielding guns, stormed the press conference to pick up Mr Anyidoho amidst chaos and resistance from several other people who were at the presser.

Mr Anyidoho’s arrest follows indications by Minister of Information Mustapha Abdul-Hamid that Ghana’s security agencies must invite the NDC politician over his comment.

Mr Anyidoho told Happy FM on Monday, 26 March that: “Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself.

“On the January 13, 1972 a certain Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a movement that removed the Progress Party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo-Addo’s father was a ceremonial president. Somebody should tell Nana Akufo-Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself.

“There’ll be a civil revolt. There’ll be a people’s movement. During President John Mahama’s tenure didn’t we receive similar threats from the likes of Let My Vote Count and OccupyGhana.”

“There’ll be a civilian coup d’etat; there’ll be a social revolution and the movement is starting on Wednesday. He [Akufo-Addo] will be fed up at the presidency,” Mr Anyidoho said.

Meanwhile, the Director of Communications of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah, has indicated that the party will not oust the Akufo-Addo-led government from office through a coup d’etat.

According to him, the party believes in democracy and will, therefore, the campaign against the governing NPP ahead of the 2020 elections and secure victory through that the polls.