Chief of Army Staff Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah has dismissed rumours suggesting that he turned down an appointment as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) – a claim that he says has brought him a lot of opprobrium.
Without stating where the attacks on him were coming from, the top army officer told soldiers at the Burma Camp on Monday, 15 January 2024: “The name Oppong-Preprah is stirring stomachs and heads and creating fear in people”, adding: “I don’t understand why and, so, I have been attacked, and they keep attacking me.”
“Even this morning just before I got here, a publication was sent to me where it is being indicated that I have refused to accept the appointment of CDS and as a result, there is a stop in the military shakeup,” he cited as an example of the schemes being cooked against him.
The rumours, he said, have led to extreme measures, with some individuals resorting to seeking spiritual intervention to eliminate him.
He asserted: “I have been taken to juju people and all that. We have pictures of it. In fact, it was one of the military police gentlemen who brought me the pictures”.
The CAS, however, sounded unperturbed, saying despite all the attempts to eliminate him spiritually, “I am still standing here, I am not dead and I will not die”.
“If you can’t cope with what I do, just sit down and zip up. That is all,” he advised his detractors in the Monday, 15 January interview.
Clarifying a misconception about his ethnicity, Major General Oppong-Peprah said that people wrongly identify him as an Akyem when he is, in fact, Bono from Dormaa Ahenkro. “They’ve made me an Akyem. I’m not an Akyem. I’m a Bono. I’m very proud, from Dormaa Ahenkro. We speak ‘b3 b3 b3 b3’, yes, I love it, you can’t change me”.
Major General Oppong-Peprah suggested that envy over his achievements in the security service might be fuelling perceptions of him as a threat.
However, he emphasised that the successes of the army were a collective achievement, stating: “For the past four years together, teamwork; we have achieved so much and people are jealous of us. That is all. I did not do it, we did it as an army, together with my staff officers and everyone. Commanding officers team going to Bundase and adding to whatever we are doing over there. It is teamwork, it is not me, Oppong-Preprah so don’t attack me. Anyway, I’m from the armour, you can’t penetrate me, at all”, an exasperated CDS stressed.
His public comments come a few weeks after the presidency denied reports of an intended shakeup in the top hierarchy of the army.
The office of the president dismissed as “unfounded speculation”, a social media publication that claimed President Nana Akufo-Addo intended to reshuffle the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces.
A statement signed by the Director of Communications at the Jubilee House, Mr Eugene Arhin, on Thursday, 4 January 2024, denounced the publication that alleged “a deliberate attempt by the presidency to orchestrate politically-motivated changes within the hierarchy of the armed forces with the sole aim of using the military to brutalise citizens during the conduct of the December 7 general elections”.
The publication, alleged further that a meeting was held at the presidency on Tuesday, 2 January 2024, to discuss “the so-called politically-motivated changes in the Ghana Armed Forces”.
While admitting that the president, indeed, met heads of security agencies at the Jubilee House on that day, the presidency explained that it was a usual “annual feature” on the president’s calendar every New Year.
“At these meetings, the heads of the security agencies call on the president to offer him their best wishes for the coming year, with the president also using the opportunity to express his appreciation to them for their continued commitment to safeguarding the peace and stability of the nation”, the statement clarified.
The presidency said contrary to the allegations, “no such discussions about changes to the hierarchy of the armed forces were held during the meeting”.
The presidency explained that “a change in the leadership of the armed forces is embarked upon by the president in accordance with the Constitution and well-established conventions devoid of any political considerations”, thus, “any future change, made in this regard, will not be a new phenomenon that should warrant unfounded speculation”.
Jubilee House noted: “The armed forces is an important institution of state that has over the years, built an enviable reputation for its professionalism in the conduct of its duties, both at national and international levels”, noting: “The Akufo-Addo-led administration shall continue to guard earnestly, this reputation by ensuring that partisanship is eschewed from the operations of the Ghana Armed Forces”.
The president, according to the statement, “assures Ghanaians that the 2024 general elections will be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner devoid of electoral violence”, warning: “Entities or people who will attempt to disrupt the elections will be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country”.
The presidency said: “In the interest of safeguarding the peace and stability of Ghana, the public is urged to disregard such unfounded speculations and publications aimed at triggering agitations within the rank and file of the armed forces”.
classfmonline.com