Former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana may have hit a number of wrong nerves with his decision to show some videos depicting violence to the diplomatic community.
After being bashed by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, the family of the late Ayawaso West Wuogon MP, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko also accused him of blatantly lying about the presence of attired men at their son’s funeral.
According to them, the video which was portrayed by Mr. Mahama as filmed at the late Agyarko’s funeral was that of their late relative; a police officer and not that of the deceased lawmaker.
Family of late Lance Corporal Adu Teiko in a press release copied to Ghanaweb lambasted Mahama for using a video which was taken at their son’s funeral to score cheap political points from the diplomats.
Expressing shock and disbelief, the family said they are sickened by the conduct of Mahama because it is unwise for a statesman to peddle falsehood just to gain favour from people.
“The family is appalled by the conduct of the former president, who is expected to be a statesman. Accordingly, we are calling on him to desist from championing such falsehood and fabrication on the alter of political expediency. Certainly, this is not how we want to be reminded of the painful killing of our son, in line of duty”, portions of the statement read.
Former President Mahama during a presentation to some foreign diplomats in Accra showed videos in which some heavily built security operatives were cheering and dancing at a funeral service he claimed was that of the late Kyeremateng Agyarko.
Whilst making reference to the funeral video, Mahama alleged some persons captured in the video were hoodlums of the NPP, claiming that one of the male hoodlums was wearing an earring and so cannot be said to be a national security operative as he believes male personnel of the Ghana Police Service do not wear earrings.
In the second video, Mr. Mahama told the diplomats that same hoodlums who attended the funeral of the late MP were brought to Accra on January 31, 2019 to provide security for the NPP’s candidate for the by-election, Lydia Seyram Alhassan who is the spouse of the deceased lawmaker.
Family of the late cop reacting to this said “we wish to state that the men who were dancing to the jamma songs were indeed real police officers belonging specifically to the Kumasi Buffalo Unit, and are not members of any party vigilante force as president John Mahama wanted Ghanaians and the diplomats to believe”.
The family is therefore calling on former President Mahama to apologise publicly to them, the diplomats he sought to mislead as well as Ghanaians for his conduct.
“it is our expectation that former president Mahama would do the honourable thing by apologizing, first of all, to the family, and to the diplomats whom he sought to mislead, as well as to the Ghanaian people for this unstatesmanlike conduct”.
Read the full text of the statement from the family signed by two relatives of the late cop, Dennis Mensah and Michael Adu (Liberty), on behalf of their family below.
“FAMILY OF LATE LANCE CORPORAL ADU TEIKO UNHAPPY WITH FORMER PRESIDENT MAHAMA
We, the family members of late Lance Corporal Adu Teiko, have noticed with great shock and disbelief, former President Mahama’s attempt to use a video which was taken at our son’s funeral, to score cheap political points during his recent meeting with some diplomats.
It would be recalled that at the said meeting, the former president showed excerpt of that video where some former colleagues of our late son in the police SWAT team were dancing to “jamma” songs, and claimed that they were NPP hoodlums dressed in police SWAT uniform at the funeral of Hon. Emmanuel Agyarko, who were later used to perpetuate violence at the Ayawaso by-election.
The family wishes to set the records straight by stating emphatically that, first of all, the video was not shot at Agyarko’s funeral but at the funeral of our son, Lance Corporal Adu Teiko, who was shot to death on July 11, 2018, at Poano-Manso.
Additionally, we wish to state that the men who were dancing to the jamma songs were indeed real police officers belonging specifically to the Kumasi Buffalo Unit, and are NOT members of any party vigilante force as president John m Mahama wanted Ghanaians and the diplomats to believe.
The family is appalled by the conduct of the former president, who is expected to be a statesman. Accordingly, we are calling on him to desist from championing such falsehood and fabrication on the alter of political expediency. Certainly, this is not how we want to be reminded of the painful killing of our son, in line of duty.
Finally, it is our expectation that former president Mahama would do the honourable thing by apologizing, first of all, to the family, and to the diplomats whom he sought to mislead, as well as to the Ghanaian people for this unstatesmanlike conduct.”