The National Democratic Congress general secretary; Mr. Johnson Aseidu Nketia during an interview on Starr Time with Nana Aba Anamoah has disclosed his encounters during his early years in politics and as a student and a former stockbroker.
Aseidu Nketia who is popularly known as General Mosquito also revealed that he was in the same activists group with President Akuffo-Addo and really admired his qualities back then. A reason for him to be disappointed in the president now as he’s deviated from his course.
“I joined the revolution efforts very early. When I grew old, the first active political activity that I engaged in was the fight against the military regime…the Colonel Kutu Acheampong and later to General Akufo’s regime…that was where I cut my political teeth.
“That was where I was following Nana AkufoAddo and others who were the leaders of the Peoples Movement for Freedom & Justice. I have worked with him [Nana Akufo-Addo] for some time.
“They were our mentors (but) I feel very disappointed in him now. We believed that they could offer good leadership for this country, because of that we followed them to fight the Acheampong, Akufo government,” Asiedu Nketia revealed.
A distinctive narrative of Aseidu Nketia’s early years in politics according to his storyline is below;
I joined the revolution efforts very early. When I grew old, the first active political activity that I engaged in was the fight against the military regime…the Colonel Kutu Acheampong and later to General Akufo’s regime…that was where I cut my political teeth.
That was where I was following Nana Akufo-Addo and others who were the leaders of the Peoples Movement for Freedom & Justice. I have worked with him for some time.
They were our mentors but I feel very disappointed in him now. We believed that they could offer good leadership for this country, because of that we followed them to fight the Acheampong, Akufo government.
I participated actively in the campaign for ‘No’ during the referendum about Union government. For the first time in my life, I became a polling agent for ‘No’.
It felt gratifying. I wasn’t given food…nothing. At the close of polls, I have to carry the ballot box for 5 miles to the next center and so on but I still felt that I was working in the service of the nation.
After that, we entered into partisan politics. We were following one key person…Lawyer Obeng Manu [not Justice Obeng Manu who has passed, the father]. He was the first lawyer in my community so we were just following him as students.
He was with the Busia-Danquah group at that time but somewhere along the line, Akufo jailed him. When he came out of detention…he had been there with Dr. Bilson…when they came out, they decided to abandon the Busia-Danquah group and to form a new party called The Third Force.
We felt abandoned because we all knew we were in Busia’s district and everything was being done to prepare our mentor to go to parliament and then after some detention, he comes and disappoint all of us.
We left looking for other means because he left the Danquah-Busia ticket, someone else from a different town took it. Mr. J. K. Amakwah took it.
We from Seikwa felt that still it was our turn to produce a Member of Parliament so we went in for another lecturer who then took the ticket of UNC.
That was my first drift away from the BusiaDanquah tradition. So we joined the United National Convention (UNC).
Fortunately for me too we met Nana Akufo-Addo there and Professor Adu Boahen there. They had problems with the UP tradition because there was a struggle for leadership.
The people from Eastern region felt it was the turn of Paa Willie who was one of the last Big Six persons. They felt that he should be given the opportunity to lead the country before he passes.
The Busia-Danquah people in Ashanti felt that ‘No’, during the time of Busia he specially prepared Victor Owusu to take over from him so now that Busia was no more, Victor Owusu should lead the party.
