Tuesday, June 09, 2015

I'll Run for President; NDC, NPP Unfit - Onsy Nkrumah
Ghana Daily Graphic

Dr Onsy Anwar Nathan Kwame Nkrumah, a Pan Africanist who said he was considering contesting for Ghana’s Presidency, has described the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) as unfit to lead the country.

“Clearly this current NDC government is unfit for purpose and it is equally clear to most discerning Ghanaians now that NPP is also unfit to run for government and is even unfit for proper united opposition, they seriously need to get their house in order before presenting themselves or passing for a united party or even pretending to be one,” Dr Nkrumah told Graphic Online on Tuesday.

Born in Egypt on March 17, 1957 to an Egyptian mother, who is now 84-years-old, Onsy Nkrumah, who was recently discovered and traditionally accepted as the son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, said his consideration for President has been informed by his belief that Ghanaian politicians have failed the country over the years.

He claims to have started visiting Ghana 30 years ago but did not reveal himself to any family member until he was acquainted with a friend, Reverend Joshua Edwards, who sent him to his hometown, where he got the opportunity to meet his father’s family members.

CPP ticket

Asked if he was a political party card bearing member, he responded, “I am a Card holding CPP member, so if I were to declare interest in running for president I would offer myself to my CPP party first of course.”

“I was looking for somebody to support but if I couldn’t find anybody to support; I may consider myself because this is too painful to watch and to endure,” he said.

Onsy Nkrumah is on record to have stated that he personally canvassed for Samia Nkrumah, a daughter of the late President, in his little corner to become the Chairperson of the Convention People’s Party, the political party Kwame Nkrumah founded.

“I have not actually declared a position for or against running for president but I simply responded to questions by saying I may consider it, as in politics you can never say never especially as I cannot see anybody that has a clear vision and leadership quality with integrity to lead Ghana out of this miserable current sad state of affairs to restore its rightful leading position in the world stage and specially in Africa.”

Controversy

The appearance of Dr Onsy Nkrumah as a son of Ghana’s first President who was not known by Ghanaians was not without controversy, as his outspoken ‘brother’, Dr Sekou Nkrumah, has insisted he (Onsy) was not who or what he claims to be.

Sekou Nkrumah has vowed never to have anything doing with him and refused to recognise him as a brother unless he (Onsy) goes for a DNA test to prove his claims.

However, the family of the late President accepted Dr Onsy Nkrumah as the biological son of the former Head of State, and has even given him a native Nzema name.

Motivation

Commenting on what was motivating him to contest as President, Onsy Nkrumah said: “I have received overwhelming demands to run for president not only from CPP members but by millions of Ghanaians from all parties and non-party members due to the serious hardship and prolonged suffering endured by our long suffering Ghanaian people who don't see the light at the end of this long dark tunnel.”

“If I should decide to run for president on CPP ticket then I would need to work day and night to re-unite and rebuild our divided and weakened party and build a good team ready in time for government before 2016 elections which is possible to do in time by the grace of God,” he told Graphic Online.

Touching on the state of the economy, Dr Nkrumah said Ghana needed to stop going backwards and start moving and leaping forward again as befitting of the great patriotic legacy handed down to it by the founding father of the Republic.

“I was happy to give my time, my experience and my energy to serve a number of African countries in advisory capacity completely free of charge and I was willing to do the same to my beloved country Ghana but if my advisory contribution was not welcome because the people in government are too busy looking after their own business affairs and narrow interests and other priorities, other than building and repairing our damaged struggling country and people then I may be left with no other option but to run for president to get Ghana out of the current constant decline and great suffering our people are and have been suffering for years and years with no end in sight any time soon."

Dr Onsy Nkrumah, who is the Chairman of Pan Africanist movement, the United African Organisation (UAO), suggested that it was understandable that the majority of Ghanaians who are not tied in either NDC or NPP parties and who are despairing are looking to real leadership coming from CPP and those are the very people who have been calling him to run for president.

“I always tell Ghanaians in every available occasion to keep hope alive, to keep dreaming of a better and brighter future in Ghana but our people are sick and tired of praying and dreaming and waiting without seeing any prospects of improvement or even any promising change of direction by those who are in office but not taking charge of our ailing economy and not taking care of the basic needs of the great majority of our good and struggling people.

"I believe that is why they call on me to offer myself to serve all Ghanaians not just a small sector of our people as successive recent governments have been doing.

"They also tell me, 'Don't waste your energy or time trying to reach President Mahama who has no time or interest to hear or to follow your or any advice from anybody outside his small circle of interested and benefiting friends and associates',"  he said.

- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/news/politics/44386-onsy.html#sthash.irPk6ku3.dpuf

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