What Nana Addo And George Bush Have In Common

Fortunate Sons With Cocaine Snorting Claims Interested In Bloodline Politics Who Fathered Drunken Girls

*Believe it or not, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo Addo and the immediate past President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, might be friends. Indeed, it appears they were created by the same God, on the same day, with the same clay, but given a different race and placed at different geographical locations.

A cursory observation of the two personalities reveals that they have so much in common in terms of upbringing, lifestyle and the events of their lives as politicians who believe in bloodline presidency.

Mr. Bush has been able to weather the storm to become president of his mighty nation, leaving Nana Addo at the threshold of his political career, a step to the presidency on the back of his party which has the symbol of an Elephant just as the Republican Party in the US, which sent ex-president Bush to the White House.

First of all, the two were fortunate to have been born into families that are well to do. Where they were privileged enough to have been given the best form of education by their fathers who themselves served their respective countries as presidents. With their fathers’ legacy, they both laid birthright claims to the presidency of their respective countries.

But in seeking to become president, the two personalities have faced the biggest challenge in their lives with respect to their campaigns which almost ended their political careers; the allegations that they are into the use of cocaine or narcotic drugs, or had used it during their youth.

Indeed, Mr. Bush was arrested for possession of cocaine in 1972, but with his father’s connections, the entire record was expunged by a state judge whom the elder Bush helped to get elected.

It is said to be one of those “behind closed doors in the judge’s chambers” kind of thing between the old man and one of his Texas cronies who owed him a favour.

In the case of Nana Addo, The Ghana Palaver Newspaper claimed that it has evidence that as Foreign Minister he was arrested at a New York Airport carrying cocaine but was only spared because America, where users are jailed for carrying a gramme, showed leniency when the smuggler, carrying a diplomatic passport convinced them that the stash was for personal use. The paper is yet to release the evidence, but it is also unclear whether Nana’s campaign team has refuted the claim.

Just like Bush Campaign in year 2000, Nana Addo’s campaign also had to spend man-hours denying his use of drugs or narcotics. Jake Obetsebi -Lamptey, now chairman of the NPP, at a rally in Kasoa, insisted that Nana Addo never even smoked cigarette before

What Jake, when speaking in his capacity as Nana Addo’s Campaign Manager, did not know while distancing the flagbearer from drugs was a shocker from Gabby Asare Okyere-Darko, Nana Addo’s family member and confidante.

He had written it in his article “Getting High on Lies and Insults”, published in the now defunct Statesman newspaper, on February 4, 2008.

He wrote: “The majority of Ghanaians below the age of fifty have been exposed to wee use, one way or the other. Even if Nana Akufo-Addo, who grew up in the flower, liberal age of the funky sixties in both England and Ghana, had experimented with grass, like many students do, what in modern PR tactics informed the NDC that they could win by tagging the man, who carries the tag ‘yenim wo firi titi’, as a dangerous, hopeless, reckless drug abuser?

At a public gathering in Tamale, Nana Addo said “The people who are saying it are fully aware that it is bull shit. The time it happened in the past we took the view that we were not going to dignify that rubbish with a response. But it looks as if that's not a good idea because its just given them a free hand. So we are going to respond this time appropriately.

“ I want you to know I have never swallowed, sniffed, eaten, whatever you do with cocaine. I've never done it in my life. And I’ll never do it. So be rest assured, all of that one is nonsense. Its never true”, he declared to loud applause.

Nana Addo vowed never to tolerate any further attacks on his personality, and threatened to deal decisively with persons who continue to peddle falsehood against him as a drug addict.

Again, while Mr. Bush has been reported to be a hard-drinking, women-loving and fanatic of expensive cars, he has wildly been said to be into women a lot. Indeed, in justifying why he is not too old to be made the presidential candidate of his party, Nana Addo joked that a woman can best tell his strength, implying that after a sex bout his strength or otherwise will be confirmed by the supposed lady.

He had, meanwhile, been linked to some prominent Ghanaian women. President Kufuor who supported Alan K. Kyremanten, in a goodwill message to the delegates during NPP’S presidential primaries this year said: “My prayer is that the elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner, to result in the candidate not only being popular, but also morally authoritative.

These attributes will facilitate in rallying the Party into a united and winning force in the national elections, two years from now.” This remark is contained in a statement signed by Mr. Frank Agyekum.

Bush has described his days before his religious conversion in his 40s as his "nomadic" period and "irresponsible youth", and admitted to drinking "too much" in those years.

Bush has been quoted as saying “alcohol began to compete with my energies ... I'd lose focus".

In the case of Nana Addo, Samuel Abu Jinakpor recently claimed on Radio Gold, that his mentor stopped taking alcohol long ago.

Ursula Owusu, actively linked with Nana, has said that he has not touched alcohol in 16 years.

Mr. Bush has been described as the worst president America has had so far.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the recession of the American economy, massive unemployment, among, other things, have been said to be the legacies of the immediate past American president, a product of Yale University and the Harvard Business School, both in the US.

Nana Addo, an economics student at the University of Ghana –Legon turned lawyer, has also not been spared a claim that he can’t rule this country.

He has variously been described as hot-headed, among other things. One journalist who claims to know him very well is the publisher of The Chronicle Newspaper. Kofi Coomson, a diehard NPP supporter, insists that Ghana will not be safe under Nana Addo as president .

He claims to know a lot about Nana Addo to support this position.

Another person, the celebrated Ghanaian business economist, investment consultant, bigwig in the NPP and maverick politician, Kwame Pianim, at the launch of Prof Frimpong Boateng's campaign to contest his party’s 2012 presidential slot also declared: "The NPP is not looking for a flagbearer because any idiot can hold the flag, so the NPP must go for a tried and tested person with lots of experience in leadership…he is the man of my choice, if you look at the people who are running, you can find a few of the new generation politicians.

“You can find people with good analytical brains, there are those who can charm the delegates but you are not just looking for somebody who can chant slogans, we are not looking for a pretty face, we are looking for somebody who can tackle life and death matters with calmness, creative listening, precision and also action," he stated.

At the family level, ex-President Bush and Nana Addo are fathers of girls only with alcoholic problems. Jenna Bush and Barbara Bush, the twin girls of ex-President Bush, were many times arrested, questioned by police and even prosecuted when their father was ruling the most powerful nation on Planet Earth. Jenna and Barbara were tossed out of Argentina by the pissed-off U.S. diplomats in Buenos Aires in 2006 for drunken behavours.

Just recently, a 33- year daughter of Nana Addo, Mary Fummy Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, had a brush with Cantonment Police for driving under the influence of alcohol and running into the vehicle of Kwesi Bekoe Amissah, Governor’s of the Bank of Ghana.

Ms. Akufo-Addo did not stop but sped off with her friends after causing damage to the Governor’s car.

Fummy said to be an issue from a relationship with a Nigerian lady, was later arrested and taken to the Cantonments Police Station. There, where she admitted her offence and was processed for court. She was fined, said DSP Alex Kumangtani.

The two personalities had their elections running into difficulties to the extent of going to court to have their ways cleared.

In the case of President Bush, his election brought America’s democracy into question when after voting, the election ran into disputes with claims that his brother, Jeff Bush, who was the Governor of Florida, had rigged the presidential election in his favour in that state.

Almost all the major media houses in US had declared the election for Al Gore, but suddenly, things changed, and Bush was returned the winner. The case eventually landed in the American Supreme Court, but the judges there who were mostly appointed by his father George Bush Snr., ruled in his favour.

In the case of Nana Addo, he went for election as President of Ghana in 2008 and came close to the seat but was forced into a run-off with Prof. Mills. Although he was leading the race his party sprayed cash like water sprinkler.

However, the tables turned, and whilst losing, his cousin, Atta Akyea, resorted to a court action on a public holiday, trying to use his marital connections to Chief Justice Georgina Wood to eventually have the elections declared in favour of Nana Addo, who had also been a friend and regular visitor to the Dansoman residence of the Wood family.

Indeed, there were also talks of getting hold of dead bodies as evidence of NPP agents killed in the Volta Region for the NDC to perfect its rigging agenda in that region.

However, the constitutional coup was botched and Nana Addo Bush Jnr. has been able to overcome his political hurdle in the midst of stiff opposition, to also become a president of all-powerful USA, just like his father.

But whether Nana Addo, too, will be able to realize his dream of bloodline presidency in similar circumstance, depends on how he polishes his image before and during the 2012 election.