THE ROADMAP TO THE THIRD REPUBLIC

THE ROADMAP TO THE THIRD REPUBLIC
SECTION ONE
THE HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF;
VICTOR OWUSU VRSN.Y.B. ADADE AND OTHERS
Primaroly, the breakup of the Second Republic of the Progress Party frontline was regrettably the
uncompromising of the professional and personality clashes between Victor Owusu on the one
side against N.Y.B. Adade. This originated from their Kumasi law practice years in the late
1950s to the mid 1960s. Along, the line through politics Adade was joined by R. R. Amponsah,
Yaw Manu and William Ofori Atta (Paa Willie).
The other cause of the breakup of Second Republic Progress Party Frontline was the lack of
expertise in the Danquah/Busia/Dombo tradition to handle and manage crisis within a political
party, as well as the arrogance and pride of members to subject their personal and sometimes
petty and over ambitious wishes to the main and central body interest. A defect which still
persists in DBD tradition and needs serious diagnosis and prescription.
The clash between the two legal luminaries existed when I joined the Yaanom Chambers of
Adade in the late 1960 but it kept on escalating over the years and out of the court houses into
the public and political arenas.
Victor Owusu originated his law firm and named it Okomfo Anokye Chambers. The Yaanom
chambers had its roots from Sir Edward Asafo Agyei, the first Kumasi law practioner in the mid
1930s. He later became Ghana’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom after the nation
attained her sovereignty in 1957 and handed over the chambers to Siriboe. N.Y.B. Adade joined
Siriboe in 1957 till the later was appointed a Senior Magistrate in 1958. Adade renamed the
office Yaanom Chambers.
In a matter of three years Adade had a renowned and reputable law chambers in Kumasi /Ashanti
putting him in professional competition nationwide with all the brilliant legal practitioners of the
land notably the Akuffo Addos, F.K. Apaloos, J.B. Danquahs, the Koi Larbis all of Accra, the
Blays of Sekondi, the Victor Owusus, the Henry Prempehs, the Effah and Totoes all of Kumasi.
Intellectually there was not much difference between them. Save that Adade had B.Sc. Degree in
Commerce they were both holders of B.Sc. in Economics, LLB and Barristers at law. The only
difference of substance between the two was one of ideology and attitude.
N.Y.B. Adade was a red hot Marxist Socialist who had even some connection and training at the
Communist Pravda Publication Office in Moscow, Russia in the early 19505. He could laugh out
cheer· fully, crack jokes and was easily accessible. He had many nicknames with every
acquaintance, and was vocal against corruption of any sort. He was also a playboy
notwithstanding his socialist traits had a nightclub "The Jamboree" at Asafo Kumasi and also
formed his own highlife band "The Globemasters" which soon became one of the leading bands
of the 1960s in Ghana.
Victor Owusu on the other hand was an arch capitalist and blue ice cold Conservative. He
believed in class regimentation and made it appear even a privilege to stretch his hand to shake
anybody outside his circle. His lawyers, politicians, golfers and lodge mason friends could be
counted on the fingers of the left hand. There was nobody one could count on as Victor's real and
trusted confidant except may be "Afro" Gbedemah and F.K. Apaloo.
While between 1960 and 1965 the two were probably the best lawyers in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo
and Northern sector of the country, it appeared their court room clashes were carried over outside
the court precincts.
The internal conflicts between them started to peak from 1962. after the famous Osagyefo Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah's "Dawn Broadcast" where he castigated the Judicial Service of corruption and
other unacceptable practices. The Chief Justice at the time Sir Arku- Korsah then privately
invited some leading members of the Ghana Bar including N.Y.B. Adade to submit confidential
reports on the members of the judiciary within their active jurisdiction. Adade as I knew him as a
practising lawyer and member of the judiciary in the latter years, had always held the view that
Judges are not per se corrupt, but in most cases are led into that temptation by members of the
Bar in return for undeserved judgments.
Stop these lawyers who flirt with the Judges for advantage and this seemingly negative
perception will die away, as ordinary litigants under normal circumstances lack the courage to
approach a Judge for such judicial favours.
Adade who was then not only a senior lawyer but also the Secretary of the Ashanti Bar attended
the Chief Justice's invitation. Thereafter the mundane relationship between Victor and N.Y.B.
appeared not only to have been dirtier but to have brought Justice Apaloo into Victor's group for
reasons I have not been able to decipher. This unfavourable relationship between Adade and
Justice Apaloo was not left behind in Kumasi when the two happened to have found themselves
in Accra but appeared to have raised its head again in the "Salas Case" as dealt with hereafter.
In 1966 Victor Owusu was appointed the Attorney General in the N.L.C. after the overthrow of
Kwame Nkrumah's First Republic. Barely eighteen months later for some unexplained reasons,
Victor was replaced by N.Y.B. The latter was made to hold this office after he became the
Progress Party Parliamentary member for Konongo /Juaso Asante Akim - Ashanti in the Second
Republic. Victor Owusu, who had been the only Member of Parliament to have won his
Agona Ashanti seat unopposed by any other Party, was made the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
This was the age of the Racist Apartheid in South Africa when OAU was divided in their
approach to the solution. There was the militant group of such governments as Bokasa of Central
Africa, Mobutu of Congo, Iddi Amin of Uganda and others backed by China, Russia, North
Korea and Cuba who believed in the African High Command and the military solution to the
apartheid problem.
On the other side was the "Dialogue Group" headed by Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast, Dr.
Susia of Ghana and supported by the USA, United Kingdom and France who were advocating
limited economic sanctions and dialogue with South Africa to solve the problem. At this critical
period two unfortunate incidents befell the Government of Dr. Busia.
First was the Salas case of wrongful dismissal against the Government before the High Court,
Accra, presided over by Justice Apaloo.
The Government was completely dissatisfied with the Judge's insistence on handling the case,
after the Attorney General Mr. NYB. Adade had raised objection to the trial Judge's jurisdiction
over the case based on bias or close intimacy of the Judge and the Plaintiff.
While the Professor Prime Minister, a devout Methodist Christian and Sociologist saw
everything wrong with the Judge's conduct. This was a view not shared by Victor who resented
Adade's general views on the private lives and moralities of the judiciary.
Before any Cabinet reshuffle could be made, there was the need for a lawyer to be posted as
Deputy to assist Adade and this is how I found myself transferred from Trade, industry and
Tourism Minis- try to be Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice.
While the rift between the government and the judiciary was going on as a result of the Salas
case, Victor Owusu also at the OAU Foreign Ministers Conference at Addis Ababa openly
expressed hi personal opposition to the Government's position on the dialogue with South Africa
but rather in favour of joint African Military action as proposed by the anti Dialogue Group. The
whole government including of course Adade was furious with Victor.
The need for Cabinet reshuffle became inevitable. Adade was transferred to the Ministry of
Interior, Victor and Paa Willie move to the Attorney General's office, and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs respectively. While Victor blamed Adade and Paa Willie for engineering his
transfer, Adade also pointed the same fingers again Victor. I must point out however, that
besides their equally m-depth knowledge and wizardry application of the law, they had two
enviable qualities in common. Both could reason at a very short notice on their feet and present
unimpeachable responses and decisions. They were both very good listeners and commanded
respectable business practice of supervision and delegation to achieve the concerted result. In
one aspect however, there was a vast difference ill this was timing. Adade was very particular
about timing, which Victor, perhaps with his Agona Royal upbringing had no respect of time but
expected everybody to wait for him and sometimes would offer no tangible explanation for his
lateness save "I am sorry for being late"
While the personality clash between N.Y.B. Adade and Victor Owusu arose out of "who is
who?" on the battlefield of the legal profession, in the case of RR Amponsah and Yaw Manu as
against Victor Owusu it was the misapplication and/or misunderstanding of the practice of the
legal profession. This was in reference to the right of the exercise of discretion in respect of the
charge of professional fees for the defence of a political party member involved in the case of
politically motivated alleged crime. Both RR Amponsah and Yaw Manu released in the 1966
coup had served so many years in prison for alleged crime against the government for which the
prosecutors could not obtain judgment. In the case of Yaw Manu he had been defended by Victor
Owusu for a fee which the former thought was morally unacceptable. R.R. Amponsah a staunch
Presbyterian moralist who would selflessly and without counting the cost do everything to
support the Danquah/Busia/Dombo tradition and victory, considered Victor a charlatan in this
respect. RR Amponsah and Yaw Manu had every reason, albeit personal, to avoid any political
party with a possible shadow of Victor Owusu's leadership.
The second critical and most divisive incident of the Government of the Second Republic and the
Danquah / Busia / Dombo frontline arose out of the necessity to elevate a colonel to command
the 1st Battalion in charge of Accra during the tail end of the Second Republic. The leading
contestants for the command were Colonel Asare, the favourite and Golf playmate of Victor
Owusu against Colonel Kutu Acheampong, the favourite of R.R Amponsah and Yaw Manu the
Deputy Minister of Transport and the confidant of the Prime Minister. In the ensuing contest the
R.R. Amponsah and Yaw Manu favourite Colonel Kutu Acheampong won the day. Just less than
six weeks after Colonel Kutu's appointment to head the Southern command, he staged the coup
d'etat to topple the Second Republic on 13th February 1972. Victor Owusu started pointing
fingers at RR Amponsah, Yaw Manu and N.Y.B. Adade.
In 1961 at the Kumasi High Court, presided over by Mr. Justice Apaloo, I had been privileged as
pupil in N.Y.B. Adade’s Chambers to hear Lawyer Akuffo Addo address the court. He could
convince any judge to believe that Mount Kilimanjaro is on the Accra plains. The submission he
made in this case to move Paa Willie to return to the fold was more powerful than his 1961
Kumasi High Court Submission.
As a student in London in 1955, I had also been privileged in my kente cloth, to sit in the front
role to hear the evangelist Billy Graham. He could convince the Vatican to canonize Judas. The
ex Moderator's sermon to Paa Willie that evening was far moving than that of Billy Graham.
After these two had delivered their best of addresses and sermons to Paa Willie with me kneeling
and begging,. Paa who was a devout Christian bordering on the corridors of an evangelist replied
as follows:
"Thank you, but I regret I have to disappoint you, I cannot accede to your request. I have decided
to leave politics and devote the rest of my life to the work of the Christian God". Both Akuffo
Addo and I were disappointed but Sintim Misa appeared indifferent. How could he convince
somebody against God's work?
In the meantime we had formed the "Popular Front Party", selected. Our party symbol of the
light coming out of the dark, but without our leader and Presidential Candidate. We still hoped
Paa Willie would change his mind as we detailed da Rocha to work on him. In the meantime the
front runners for our leadership cum flag bearer so felTwere Tolan Naa, Victor Owusu, Sarfo
Adu and J.H. Mensah. B.J. dOlRocha still retained the General Secretaryship assisted by
Agyenim Boateng with G.E.B. Awuku still the treasurer.
As the Commission of Enquiry going into the assets of Victor Owusu had not come out with
their report, we presented that as the alibi for our delay to give all the contestants the level
playing field while in fact da Rocha and others were still persuading Paa Wil- lie for a change of
mind. All the same Dr. Sarfo Adu with his team of the young hot heads of Akuffo Addo, Dr.
Amoako Tuffour and Kwamena Bartels was far ahead in the race of the four. Soon after
we came out with the name and symbol of our party, the 50- called "Broad Based Party" also
inaugurated theirs under the name of "United National Convention" - U.N.C. and surprisingly
with Paa Willie as their Presidential Candidate. Their party symbol of open hand \vas an
innuendo of openness, transparency and cleanliness as against the uncleared and seemingly dirty
Victor Owusu. The Popular Front Party at that point in time had not elected its Party Leader.
Here Paa Willie had disabled his admirers in the party from pursing their clamours for him.
The U.N.C. was essentially a combination of the Progress Party "Walk Outs" from da Rocha's
law office and most of the Gbedemah's N.A.L. party members notably Okudjeto, Osei Nyame,
Dr. Obed Asamoah, Dr. Agama and few outsiders including Peter Ala Adjetey, Prof Adu
Boahen, Harry Sawyerr and unbelievably General Afrifa. The battle for the dirty mud slinging
had begun between P.F.P. and D.N.C.
In the meantime the EN.P. with its roots from the C.P.P. had been formed. Their expected
Presidential Candidate, Mr. Imoro Egala, having been disqualified, he and Krobo Adusei
proposed Dr. Hilla Liman as the Party's Presidential Candidate.
Hitherto, the PF.P. had this Liman as their Parliamentary Candidate for the Sisala Constituency.
The PFP. was late by a minute and hence Liman became the EN.P. Presidential Candidate. Still
the PFP. had not selected their Leader and Flagbearer. Simultaneously, other small parties had
appeared in the political horizon. Notable amongst them was the Third Force of the Kumasi
based medical practitioner Dr.Yaw Bilson. His symbol was the hurricane lamp.
Victor Owusu's Leadership of the P.F.P.
William Ofori Atta had been named as the leader of the D.N.C. Victor Owusu had been cleared
by the Commission of Enquiry and the stage was set for the PFP. to elect its flag bearer from the
contestants being, J.H. Mensah, Talon Naa, Dr. Sarfo Adu and Victor Owusu. 1l1e last two
appeared to be the hot favourites. However Dr. Sarfo Adu with the support of his young and
strategically manipulating quartet of Hackman Owusu Agyeman, Dr. Amoako Tuffour, Nana
Akuffo Addo and Kwamena Bartels appeared to be far ahead in the contest.
Long before the Busia government, I had known Dr. Sarfo Adu as a brilliant medical practitioner
in Ashanti New Town, Kumasi. He could also claim some credit as the Minister of Agriculture.
Dr. Sarfo Adu was shrewd and had a special penchant for picking up future leaders. But who
were these four young men, known in no circles during the Busia's government, and who had
now managed to build a fortress around Dr. Sarfo Adu who was sure to win at our congress?
J.H. Mensah was still indentured with the stigma of Dr. Busia's devaluation, for which he was
not de facto but technically and administratively responsible. He had no chance at any polling
station. Talon Naa, a very distinguished diplomat was known only in the high circles even
though popular in the Northern sector of the country.
The only person left who could defeat Dr. Sarfo Adu at the Congress was Victor Owusu
provided he could break Dr. Sarfo Adu's solid front in the Greater Accra and Volta Regions as
well as parts of the Eastern Region.
I opted for Victor Owusu for one main reason. The 1960's was the decade of military insurgents
in the West African sub-region which appeared to be in competition of "who is who" in the
overthrow of the governments in their country. Ghana needed a government with a leadership
which could contain the army.
From my personal interactions with them since the overthrow of the Second Republic, Victor
appeared to have the better solutions as to how to contain the threat of the men on horse back.
Perhaps if I had known the Sarfo Adu quartet of Nana Akuffo Addo, Hackman Owusu
Agyeman, Kwamena Bartels and Dr. Arno'ako Tuffour, particularly as I have known them since
1991, I would have opted for Dr. Sarfo Adu on this score sheet and the history of this country
could have definitely been different.
The Madjitey Catch
Victor Owusu nad no chance of getting any vote at the congress from the Volta Region for his
alleged anti Ewe statement of "Inwaro Looking People" made in a Parliamentary debate during
the Second Republic. But he could win at the congress if he was able to bre.h.. even with Dr.
Sarfo Adu in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions.. llooked through the two regions for the
uncorrunitted personalities who could help Victor in this achievement. The obvious choice "-as
Mr. E.R.j. Madjitey of Krobo Odumasi in the Eastern Region. H.!!- was the first Ghanaian I.G.P
and leading MP of the N.A.L at fue Second Republic. He commanded nationwide high respect.
He had retired to his hometown Krobo Odumasi. I had to bring him into the Victor Owusu
Presidential Campaign Team.
Without the knowledge of Victor, on one Wednesday afternoon, I drove to Krobo Odumasi and
informed Madjitey of Victor's inH tention of naming him as his running mate provided he could
win at the congress. In return for this, Victor had charged him to secure the votes in the Eastern
and Greater Accra Regions at the congress for him. The deal was initiated and he was to meet
Victor at Ben Dwimoh's Airport Residence - Accra the following day at 4:00p.m. I returned to
Accra to break the deal to the skeptical Victor. He challenged me. r overruled rum and on the
following day at Ben Dwimoh's Residence the deal was sealed with Sheik I.C. Quaye as the
witness. With three weeks to go for the Congress, Madjitey was able, as promised, to secure us
what Victor needed to carry the day.
At the eventful congress at the Great Hall Legon, Accra, Victor was declared the winner beating
Dr. Sarfo Adu to the third position with Tolon Naa in the second place. As it was Victor's
constitutional prerogative of the party, he was asked to name his running mate soon after his
acceptance speech at the congress. I was sitting in the front roll. Both Victor and Madjitey were
looking at me. I quickly sent the following note to Victor; "Name Tolan Naa for two ;ea-sons:
First, he came second and also, as the Eastern and Greater Accra votes will always be shared,
Tolon Naa can give us our needed block votes from the North".
Both Victor and Madjitey looked at me and smiled. After smiling in return, I walked out of the
hall, got into my car and moved avvay before Victor could pronounce for Tolan Naa.
This is how Tolon Naa became the PFP running mate to enable our Presidential Candidates
brilliant performance in the North to deprive Dr. Hilla Liman the block Northern vote he had
expected to win in the first round.
My decision for Tolon Naa was not a betray;]l of Madjitey but dictated by the reaction of the
chemistry of politics at the relevant time:
First, the U.N.C. had nominated William Ofori Atta of the Eastern Region, a political giant of the
Ghana's legendary "Big Six" whose shadow covered not only Eastern and Greater Accra Regions
but almost every part of the coastal belt.
Second, most of the political giants of Gbedemah's N.A.L. particularly, Dr. Agama, Osei Nyane,
Dr. Obed Asamoah, Sam Okudejeto and, in practical equations, the whole of the Volta Region
were behind Paa Willie.
Third, the P.N.P., the successor of the C.P.P. had selected Dr. Hilla Liman an unknown political
figure from the North (as against Tolon Na) as their Presidential Candidate. The North therefore
appeared more and proactive to our victory.
This, my on the spot reaction to the political necessities of the time at Legon Hall, accounted for
'Tolon Naa/Victor's seemingly brilliant performance in the North to deprive Dr.Hilla Liman the
block vote in those three regions which they had calculated to give them the first round 50.1%
nationwide majority. The result was the second round Presidential elections between Hilla
Liman's P.N.P. and Victor Owusu's P.F.P.
As the U.N.C. came third with their political stalwarts of Paa Willie, N.Y.S Adade, Prof.
Adu,Soahen, Afrifa, R.R. Amponsah, Yaw Manu, Ala Adjetey, Dr. Agama, Sam Okudjeto, Obed
Asamoah and Harry Sawyerr, they ignored their political roots of the Danquah/ Busia/Dombo
tradition and opted for the P.N.P. of the C.P.P. ancestory. This enabled Liman win the land slide
victory over the PFP Victor Owusu in the Round Two.
Thus the Danquah/Busia/Dombo house divided against itself fell in 1979 and the builder had to
wait for over twenty years to put it back in 2001.