Former President John Agyekum Kufour has disclosed that he had a fear of being overthrown through coup d’état when he ascended the Presidency, a reason why he appointed his brother, Addo Kufour as Minister for Defence.
Speaking on Neat FM, he noted that his brother was already a lawmaker for Manhyia and he had enough trust in him to handle the defense ministry to thwart any coup attempts.
“What people forgot is that from independence till the time I became president any civilian president was ousted via [a] coup. Nkrumah, Busia and Liman were all victims of coups,” he was quoted by ghanaweb.
“I was the fourth civilian president and my prayer was that my government wasn’t going to be toppled by [a] coup. I was looking for a very competent person and had resolve; so that I entrust the Ministry of Defence to him and my brother worked excellently at the Ministry of Defence. So how can someone sit on the radio and malign me and seek to destroy my family?” he said.
“I don’t want people to think that I had issues with my brother. I wanted someone whom I could trust to be competent and not plan to overthrow my government. When God gave me the chance to be president, I vowed not to give the defence ministerial role to anyone.
“I wanted someone who wouldn’t sleep on the job so that in the event that anyone plans coups, he will alert us early so that we deal with it. That’s why I appointed my brother because I know him more than anyone. We have the same parents and I’m just a year and a half older than him. We grew up together and I know his competence and how he thinks,” he intimated.
GhanaFeed.com
