When Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo emerged the winner of the 2016 presidential election on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), many were those who felt so excited, expressing their warmest gratitude to God Almighty for the victory.
The victory, which swept through the length and breadth of the country like wild bush-fire, caused spontaneous jubilation among the Ghanaian population, especially members of the NPP.
It was, therefore, no surprise when on the day of the presidential inauguration, the Black Star Square, venue for the event, was filled to capacity with both local and foreign personalities, including African presidents and members of the diplomatic corps.
To The Chronicle, the victory has many lessons for all Ghanaians, whether we are in the governing NPP, opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), or even outside the country.
We believe that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the most vilified presidential candidate in the history of our dear nation, such that some of his supporters even wondered whether he could ever become Ghana’s Head of State.
But, since the way of man is not that of our Father who is Heaven, today he is the President of the Republic of Ghana, and tipped by many as someone who could become one of the most successful leaders of our time.
Even though it is a known secret that the then NPP flagbearer is one of the very few honest, dedicated, and clean politicians Ghana can boost of,, his opponents in the NDC made sure they ran him down at all costs.
This is a man who never lived in any government bungalow, drove any state vehicle, and even paid himself per diem when he was Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and later Minister of Foreign Affairs for almost eight years in the Kuffuor-led administration.
In 2008, when he had the mandate of his party to represent the elephant family in the presidential election, his political opponents called him all manner of names, including smearing him as someone who dabbles in the use of cocaine.
They also alleged that Nana Akufo-Addo smokes marijuana, popularly called ‘wee’, and that someone of his calibre does not deserve to become president of the country, so Ghanaians should ignore him.
At a point, they called him a womaniser and arrogant politician, who was not even a qualified lawyer as he claimed, stressing that not only would he bring nothing good to the image of the presidency, but also, he was a threat to the highest office of the land.
As if that was not enough, at the beginning of the 2016 campaign, his opponents in the NDC called him a murderer, alleging that he killed his wife some 20 years ago, and that he should be investigated and brought to justice.
They even swore to retire him from politics.
Even at the tail end of the 2016 campaign, a Minister of State in the then governing NDC administration, Nii Lante Vanderjuiye, made a categorical statement on a political platform that a short person like Akufo-Addo can never be president of Ghana.
However, in all of these, the NPP three times flagbearer was not perturbed, but went ahead by committing himself into the hands of the Almighty God, saying: “The Battle is the Lord’s.”
And here we are today; the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. God Almighty has smiled on him and graced his efforts, and put smiles on his face.
The Chronicle, therefore, encourages all Ghanaians, especially the youth, to learn from the perseverance of the President, noting that whatever they set their eyes on, they should remain focused and work towards it, believing that God would crown their efforts with success.
With whatever we set our eyes on, The Chronicle believes that we must persist and be focused, and in God’s own time, success would be ours.
Let us allow the perseverance of the President to inspire us to victory.
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